The birds, the bees and the Gorillaz?
by 8000-o-clock
Summary: Noodle is feeling so strange and..different, so she turns to a blue-haired singer to help her with all her questions. But does 2D read too much into what she is asking? Cute story, 2DXNoodle, some strong language and sexual stuff -tasteful.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Gorillaz! But I did just want to make a cute story about the reality of what it would be like to be poor young Noodles, living in a run-down zombie-infested home with the Satanist, a dim-wit and a possessed drummer.

--

Murdoc, 2D and Russel were all in the recording room, looking over some notes and setting up for their next practise. They were looking forward to getting some new ideas out there and had been spending a lot of time in the studio. However, there had been one little problem lately; Noodle. Mind you, it wasn't necessarily a huge problem, she came and practised and did whatever they had asked of her, as she always has. But lately it just seemed like her heart wasn't it. Her playing, while still quite breath-taking, lacked the heart and soul she usually displayed. And it seemed every day, she was showing up later and later to their practises and talking less and less. She would just push through the songs and robotic-ally strum her guitar until they told her to stop. Then, she would just leave, sometimes without even saying a word.

"A'wright, this is gettn ridiculous. The girl knows we gotta practise today, where the bloody 'ell is she?" Murdoc huffed angrily. He had been impatiently pacing back and forth and plucking the bass for the past hour now, but was unwilling to wait any more.

"I duno, man. Baby-girl's been kind...outta her game lately, yah know?" Russel replied. "Just give her some space, we been pushin' her kinda hard lately."

"Well that's cause we got deadlines n' concerts! We gotta lot work to do n' I'm not gonna be havn' anyone slack off 'ere!" Murdoc scowled at the large drummer, then whipped his head around to face 2D. "Dullard! You're not doin anythn' useful. Go bring tha girl down 'ere so I can give 'er a piece of my mind."

"Awright, I'm goin'." 2D muttered as he slowly turned to leave the room in search for Noodle, before Murdoc decided to take his anger out on him in the form of a knuckle-sandwich. Russel sighed and went back to reading over some of his work.

Stu travelled through Kong and down the dark corridoors until he finally reached Noodle's room. He knocked lightly on the door, only to see that it wasn't even shut completely. The door was open a crack and 2D pushed it open a little more, listening intently to see if her could hear any sign that Noodle was there.

"Noods... lil' love? Yah in 'ere?" He paused and listened again, still no sound.

Meanwhile, Noodle was in her private washroom. She had just taken a shower and the water was now off, but yet for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to leave the hot, steamy comfort of the bathroom. Noodle wiped her hand over the now fogged-up mirror she stood in front of so she could see her reflection. Letting the towel that was covering her wet body fall to the tiled floor, she began to examine herself in the large mirror. Her wet, stick-straight bangs dangled in front of her face, and she let out a sigh as she studied herself. _I feel so different, like some sort of...alien. There's a million things going through my mind, it feels like my head might explode!_ The young girl sadly thought to herself. _I wish I could make this strange feeling just go away and be care-free like I used to be. Now I just feel out of control. One minute I'm so happy, the next...I could just scream or cry for hours. And the worst part is..._ Noodle looked at herself, then hung her head as she felt a single tear trace down her soft, round cheek. _...I have...nobody to turn to. I don't know how to handle this on my own. But I can't talk to any of those guys. They just...wouldn't understand. We're all so different._

2D was now taking a few small, cautious steps into Noodles' room. It was not often that he was able to enter this place, so naturally he was a bit curious. The room was nice and clean, and smelled like flowers. It was probably the neatest room in all of Kong. Stu got a strange shiver down his spine and a funny, tingly feeling in his stomach as he walked further into the room. He knew he shouldn't have been there without her permission, but he didn't want to leave. The room was all lit up, so pretty and neat with everything in it's proper place. He was now walking past her bed and decided to sit on the edge of the unusually small piece of furniture. _Wonder where she is? _2D thought to himself. _Everything in here is so small and cute...just like Noodle. Makes sense I suppose._

He sighed as he decided she must be some where's else. He sat up, carefully making his way out of the room, all the while he made sure not to leave any sign that he was ever there. As he was just about to leave, he heard a slight click coming from her bathroom. "...'ello? Noods?" he asked through the door.

Noodle froze as she heard the soft, familiar voice of her friend, Stu. What was he doing in her room? Normally she would have gotten so angry...but she didn't really have the energy. She just felt...sad and alone, and she didn't dare want to step out of her bathroom to have 2D find her in nothing but a towel and so obviously looking like she had just been crying.

"2D?" she asked softly, her voice almost a whisper. "W-what are you doin' in here?"

"'m sorry, luv. I...I didn't mean to intrude." 2D uncomfortably explained to her through the bathroom door. "We w-was just wonder'n where yah were. We got practise n' all..."

2D waited patiently to hear what she had to say, but she made no response. Suddenly, all he could hear was the softest, quietest sobs coming from the other side of the door. The sound of the young adolescent crying nearly broke Stu's big heart. While he was a bit confused as to why she was so sad and quiet lately, he walked slowly over to the bathroom door and knocked gingerly. "Ar-Are...you awright hun? I didn't mean ta bother yah...I can leave if yah like..." he asked softly.

As much as poor Noodle didn't want anyone to see her in her sorry state, the last thing she wanted was to be alone. She needed...closeness. A friend. She had been isolating herself so much as of late that she realized she may have only been hurting herself. She slowly opened the door a crack and peaked out to see if 2D was still waiting beside the door. When she saw his tall, lanky frame leaning up against the wall, she took a few steps out of the bathroom and looked up at him. 2D looked down at his small friend, slightly embarrassed to see her soaking wet and only covered by the small towel. She wasn't normally like this, and it caught him off guard to see her in this state. He felt his face get warm, and he tried not to stare at her or make the girl feel uncomfortable. Noodle put her head down and studied the ground, watching her tiny tears plop down beside her bare feet. "I'm sorry, Stu. I...I-I..just don't know what's wrong with me." Noodle tried to explain the situation to her close friend, but instead only began to sob even harder and she collapsed to the ground, her tiny frame leaning up against the wall beside 2D.

"Hey, shhh...it's okay, darln'." 2D kneeled down and put his arm around the broken guitarist. "Wot's gotcha so sad lately...you know I hate to see yah like this, breaks my heart." He found it hard to speak, his voice kept cracking like he was going through puberty all over again.

Noodle looked up at 2D and leaned into his arms, letting him console her. His long, thin limbs wrapped around her entire body, she nuzzled into his chest and listened to his heart beat. This made her feel slightly better, since she had always had a closer connection with 2D compared to anybody else in the house. Her breathing became still and she was able to stop crying. She decided that maybe opening up to somebody would help her. After all, they had been through so much together over the years. She should give them a bit more credit, they had helped her through problems before. "2D-san..." she started.

2D felt his heart jump into his throat. He felt...funny whenever she called him that. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he stuttered out "Yeah, hun?" He was now feeling more uncomfortable by the minute, he was barely letting his arms rest on her body, not wanting to rub or touch anything he shouldn't. He wanted to be clear that he was only trying to comfort her, not grope her.

"Do you think you could come to my room later on tonight, like before you go to bed? I just...I have a lot of stuff on my mind, I think it would really help if I talked to somebody. Would...that be okay with you?" she asked him while she let her head rest softly under his chin. Oddly enough, she could feel his heart beating faster and faster in his chest. "It would...really mean a lot to me."

"Uh...yah, sure luv! I mean...that would be..fine." 2D closed his eyes tight, inwardly cursing himself for stuttering like such a buffoon. He didn't know why he felt so tense, he figured he must just be having an off morning.

"Thank you, 2D-san. I will get ready for practise now, I will meet you back in the studio." she gave him a small smile and sat back up. 2D smiled nervously back at her and pushed himself up as she got up from the floor. For some strange reason, he didn't want to let her go, she seemed so sad and lonely. He just wanted to hold her until she felt happy again.

2D got up and waited outside her bedroom door so she could get dressed and ready in private. He could swear he heard Noodle humming a bit of Feel Good Inc. as she got herself ready for the day.

Inside her room, Noodle felt incredibly lighter. It wasn't like her to just let her emotions out around somebody, she was always so private. But she had to admit, it felt so good to let somebody know how she felt. And for the first time in a few weeks, she felt like being around the guys and talking to them, making some music and laughing. She was surprised at how quickly she began to feel better, and she decided that she had made the right choice in confiding in 2D. Hopefully, she would be able to open up to him again later that night when he comes over. Noodle opened up her large, wooden closet and sifted through some of her clothes. Then, her eyes fell onto a bag full of clothes she had just purchased. Holding the large bag open between her hands, she smiled to herself and decided she wanted to look...new. She felt like she had been stuck in such a rutt lately, she decided to wear a new pair of tight, dark jeans from one of her favorite stores. She wrapped an army-print belt through the denim hoops of her jeans and pulled on some bright some pink socks. Among her bag of new purchases was a padded bra she was a little nervous to wear, but decided she would put it on, along with a plain, white tank-top. Thinking the look might have been a bit too plain, she slipped on an old black necklace she used to wear and a black wrsit-watch 2D had given her one year for her birthday. Noodle turned around and looked at herself in the full-length mirror. And she had to admit, this outfit looked great, partly because of the padded bra adding some new curves to her body. She had never realized how changing up her look a bit could make her feel so...good. She studied her violet locks in the mirror, and decided she would wear her hair up for a change. Quickly pulling all her hair (except her long bangs) into a pony-tail, she smiled at herself as her face was still partially covered. Finally, she was ready to go, so she pushing opened her bedroom door and greeted 2D with a small smile. "Sorry to keep you waiting 2D-san. I am ready to go now."

2D looked a bit..stunned. He stood up straight and couldn't help but notice the girl's...different look. She seemed to be growing up more each day. The two of them walked in a comfortable silence towards the studio, where Russel and a very impatient Murdoc greeted them.

"S'about bloody time! What in Satan's name took yah so long. Didya git lost, face-ache?" Murdoc shouted over to 2D.

"Sorry I am late guys, are you ready to get started?" Noodle looked over at Murdoc and gave a slight bow. Then she glanced over to Russel and smiled sheepishly. He smiled back at her, happy to see she was being a bit more like herself. 2D couldn't help but smile, he was glad he was obviously the one who had made Noodle feel better, and he was secretly looking forward to meeting up with her later that night. He only hoped he wouldn't screw it up by doing or saying anything stupid...

A/N: Yeah, this one is a bit short, but it's only the first chapter! I promise, next chapter will be loads better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Again, still don't own the Gorillaz. Thanks for the reviews and such, it is appreciated!**

--

The practise went smoothly and everyone was actually having a good time. The guys were joking around with Noodle, actually feeling a bit more at ease with her now that she seemed to be in better spirits. Noodle still didn't quite feel like herself though, something kept nagging at her mind and she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

"Awright folks, thats all for now. I'm gunna be in my Winnie for a while, try not to burn the place down, eh?" Murdoc shouted out to his band mates as he trudged out of the studio. He could tell something strange was going on. 2D's voice kept breaking and it didn't seem like either him or Noodle were really focusing. But, he decided to shrug it off and have a few beers to just unwind after all their work.

Russel got up from behind his drum set and walked up to Noodle. "Glad to see you feeln' better, Noods" His big voice boomed behind her as he ruffled her hair playfully. She looked up to him and gave a small smile and bow, then she picked up her gear and headed for the kitchen.

Noodles' stomach growled as she entered the main kitchen and opened up the fridge. She realized that she hadn't eaten for almost a whole day and desperately needed something to fill her small stomach. With her head buried deep in the fridge as she picked through the food she wanted, she didn't notice 2D waltz into the kitchen behind her. He must not have noticed her either (as her small frame was hidden by the large appliance), because he sat down at the table and started humming softly to himself. Then, he started singing El Manana very lightly.

Noodle could hear his amazing voice float into her ears as she felt shivers crawling up her spine and a smile and light blush spread across her face. She popped her head up from the fridge and watched him as he sung with his eyes closed and his head propped up on his hand. "Stu! That sounds so good, your voice makes me feel so..happy!" she beamed over at him.

2D practically jumped up from his spot, not aware that Noodle was listening to him the whole time. "Oh, Noods, Didn't see yah there! I'm, er...glad yah liked it" he gave a cute, toothless grin over to the young girl. He tried not to think about earlier today, when she was cradled in his arms, but he couldn't take his mind off it. Noodle sat across from him at the table and began to munch lightly on an apple.

She starred up at him and asked "Can you please sing for me some more? Your voice is amazing...I've never heard anything like it."

He looked down at Noodle, her small hands grasping the fruit and eating it contently. He felt nervous all of sudden, which never happened when he was singing for anybody else. He cleared his throat a few times and began singing where he left off. But as he sang the song, he remembered the video they had shot, and the image of Noodle plummeting from the sky down from her island came crashing back into his brain.

"2D...why did you stop?" Noodle asked as she stared up at him.

"Umm, I..I'm sorry luv, just not feeln' that great alluva sudden.." he replied. "I think m' gonna go lay down for a spell." And with that, Stu walked out of the kitchen, leaving behind a confused Noodle still clutching her apple.

_Oh no, did I make him upset? Or maybe he feels weird about this morning. I hope I didn't make a mistake.._Noodle thought to herself. But, she decided not worry about it anymore and carried on with the rest of her day.

After what happened in the kitchen, everything was pretty quiet. The day went by slowly and nobody really came out of their separate rooms. Besides playing some wide-screen Pong, 2D just laid restlessly on his bed, facing upwards and staring at the ceiling. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was already 9:30pm. _Hmm, maybe I should go give Noodle a visit, hope I'm not too late. _

He pulled himself up off the bed and started out the door towards the young girl's room. As he got closer, his stomach started feeling strange, like there was some kind of insect running up and down his insides. He knocked lightly on her door, and from the other side he heard her voice say "Come in." With a light sigh, he pushed the door open and walked in.

"Hello Stu." Noodle greeted him kindly. She was sitting with her legs crossed on a small mat in the center of the floor. There were pretty smelling candles lighting up the room with a warm glow. From the looks of it, she might have been meditating before 2D had walked in.

"Hey Noods, just... came by to chat like you wanted.. Am I too late? " 2D sat next to her, his long legs jutting upwards so his knees were up near his face. Noodle giggled to herself as the rail-thin singer looked like he was about to fold himself into a pretzel as he tried to sit like her on the floor.

"No, you are not too late. Thanks for coming over, 2D." she replied sweetly. "Like I said earlier...I have just been really confused by a lot of things...I do not know who else I can turn to. But I trust you." She leaned in closer to him and squeezed his hand.

2D swallowed a lump in his throat. What was wrong with him? Noodle was his closest friend, and had been like a family member ever since the day she arrived in the FedEx crate. Now, something seemed different. She was almost 17 now and he had watched her grow from a little kid to a teenager in what seemed like over night, but now it seemed like he was noticing more things about her that he couldn't believe he had missed.

"Well, wot kinda questions didya have, luv?" Stu asked her as he squeezed her hand back. He was almost afraid to hear what she had to say. He had a hard time handling his own life, how was he supposed to help this young girl try to figure out things he might not ever understand?

"It's just been...everything lately. Like everybody's operating on some level that I'm not quite grasping. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to really...make myself feel comfortable in my own skin. It's a bit hard to explain, but..have you ever felt like you just don't belong, or you're missing something really big?" she asked him.

2D had to chuckle at this. " 'm sorry luv, I don't mean to laugh at yah. But I mean...it's me. I feel out of place almost every wheres I go. But, I've had a lot of time to deal with it, plus I'm a bit older than yah, too. I can see how it would be 'ard for yah to deal with all this. " he replied. "You're still so...young. I guess I kind of forget about what it was like to be that age.."

"Yeah...maybe.." she agreed and then glanced up at the singer. "Do you feel out of place around me, 2D-san?"

_Ugh, theres that weird feelin' again, wonder why she calls me that?_2D thought to himself. "No, luv. Dun be silly, I dun feel out-of-place around you. I feel...happy." he smiled. "Me n' Russ don't talk all that much unless it's about music. And Murdoc...well, the less I see him, the happier I am." he winked at Noodle.

Noodle giggled and laid back on her elbows, feeling much more relaxed. "You guys always seem like you're all on some different wave-length. I'm still trying to figure out my body and my feelings. And I'll be 17 in a few days and I havn't even...had my first kiss." she sighed. "I am happy with my life, I love music and all the opportunities I get to do concerts and travel. But sometimes it just isolates from the real world, like I don't fit in anywhere. "

2D was now starting to feel sad for the teenage girl. Being in one of the most famous bands in the world is hard enough. Now he realized she was living in this zombie-infested home with 3 clueless characters and no one to relate too. No wonder she needed to talk.

"2D -san, tell me about when you were younger, when you were my age." she asked him. Nooodle rolled over onto her stomach and rested her head on her hands, so she could give the tall man all of her attention.

Stu changed his position awkwardly so he was now leaning back on his hands with his legs straight out. "Well.." he started, " I dun really...remember a whole lot about that. I was working at Uncle Ned's and, well...everythin' was pretty normal. Not a whole lot to tell."

"I see." she replied. "So...if you don't mind me asking...when did you have your first girlfriend?"

"Um...well, I..." 2D was now starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, as he rubbed the back of his neck. But he wanted to help Noodle. "I guess I was about 16 when I 'ad my first serious girl. She was real nice, ya know. A real sweet one, her name was Tiffany. We went around for a bit, fings didn't work out though. Then I met Paula..and well, you know the rest."

"So you only ever had two girlfriends?" Noodle asked. She would have thought that he would have a whole list of ex'es. It surprised her to realize he only really cared about two of them. She wasn't a dumb girl though, she knew he had obviously slept with more than just those mentioned.

"Well, yah...I fink so. Those are the only ones I can 'member." He paused as if trying to rack his brain for anybody else. "Yah, thassit." Hearing that made Noodle feel a bit better. But she still had so many more questions.

"Do you think it's weird I've never kissed anyone...I mean, I'm not a kid anymore, but I feel so naive when it comes to that stuff." Noodle asked sadly, hanging her head down and blushing a bit (although 2D couldn't tell due to the hair in front of her face).

Hearing this made the lump in 2D's throat returned, even he could tell where this conversation was going. "Nah, I dun fink it's weird, hun. You'll be ready when your ready. I wuldn' worry about it."

"Don't worry...I know the basics about all that stuff, you don't have to explain it to me" Noodle assured. "But...I wonder about closeness..and love. Have you ever been in love, 2D-san?"

Stu cleared his throat loudly, "Uhhhhhh...yeah, well, not really...I-I dunno actually. Maybe?" he replied. The he started laughing lightly, "Yah see? You're not the only one confused about that kind of stuff. The whole world is!"

Noodle giggled along with 2D. "I guess so..." then she started to yawn and 2D could see her shoulders begin to sag and her body getting droopy. "I guess that early morning practise kind of got to me" she laughed. "This is going to sound kind of weird but...could you sit on the end of my bed and stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked softly.

2D smiled and got up off the floor. "Sure lil' love. Whatever you need." He waited patiently for her to crawl unto the covers, then they started blowing out all the candles, except for the one on her bed-side table. The lone candle lit up her face with a soft glow the highlighted her smooth skin and light-violet hair.

"Stu, how do you...know...when you're in love with somebody?" Noodle asked as she closed her eyes and rested her head on the soft pillow.

2D scratched his head, then he paused. "I fink you know it when you feel it. Yah get that kinda...good, happy feeling when your around'em. Then your stomach feels kinda funny and yah can't stop thinkn' abou..."

"2D-san?...are you alright?" Noodle asked inbetween yawns. She could feel her eye-lids falling down, like somebody had tied weights to the ends of them. "Is everything...okay..."

2D stared blankly at her, not sure what to say. He was hoping she wouldn't see how nervous he was. She was now laying with her eyes completely closed and her breathing getting slowed and steady. She had fallen asleep. He looked down at her, he felt like his heart might leap out of his mouth. _Stu, don't do anything to screw this up, she's only 16...stop thinkn' like that..._ He thought to himself. 2D waited by her side for a few moments longer, and then he sighed, and left for his room. _I dun fink I'm gonna sleep much tonight..._


	3. Chapter 3

2D walked quietly out of Noodle's room, trying hard not to disturb her as he left. With a heavy sigh, he softly shut the door behind him with a light 'click' and started down towards his room.

"Face-ache!" Murdoc suddenly appeared behind 2D. He whipped his head around to find himself staring straight into the bassist's mis-matched eyes. "Wot are yah doin comn' from Noodle's room this late?" his asked suspiciously.

"Uh... well, I wos jus...talkn' to 'er. She wasn't feeln' very good, yah know." 2D stammered as he fumbled nervously in the hallway. "She asked me ta go there, I wos jus helpn' her with some stuff..."

"She asked you to 'elp her with 'er problems...you? If-I-only-'ad-a-brain dullard?" Murdoc snorted. He blew a big cloud of smoke around 2D's face, causing him to cough aloud. "'ow are you gunna help that girl? If anythn', she's gunna be worse off if you're involved."

2D stood up straight, trying his best not to cower in front of the Satanist. "Whatever, Muds. I'm goin' to bed." And with that, 2D turned around and marched off towards the car park. He could feel Murdoc's eyes burning through him as he left him standing by the door. _He doesn't know wot hes talkn' about. I can 'elp her._ Stu thought to himself. But as he walked down the dark hallways, Murdoc's voice kept ringing through his mind. What if he really was only hurting her? Even though Murdoc was always mean, he did have a point. Everyone knew 2D wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

But what alarmed the singer even more was the strange tingling feeling he kept getting all throughout his body. His stomach felt so strange and he felt...lighter. For the first time in his life, it felt like 2D's brain had a thousand thoughts running through it at once, and it always brought him back to the small, Japanese guitarist. _Ugh, stop thinkn' about 'er! Wot's tha matter with you..she needed your help, and I guarantee she doesn't feel or think the same about you..._Stuart mentally berated himself. He lazily pushed his bedroom door open and flicked on the light, exposing the mess that was accumulating on the floor and the furniture. With an exhausted groan, he plopped himself face-down on the messy blankets gathered on top of his bed. He shut his eyes tight, hoping that he would feel better tomorrow and that everything would just go back to normal.

-The next morning-

2D sprang up from his bed, jolting himself awake with beads of sweat rolling down his brow. _God...did I jus dream that? I am...sick."_ He pushed back his blue locks from his face and sat up, his eyes falling upon his bedside alarm clock. "7:30am...great." Stu mumbled, looking down at the glowing red numbers that were taunting him. He decided to get a drink, he knew he couldn't go back to sleep if he tried. Even if he was still tired, he was too disgusted with himself.

Trudging lazily out towards the kitchen, he pulled open the fridge and snatched a bottle of water. Russel was up, and of course, making some breakfast for himself. " 'ey Russ." 2D mumbled. He brought the bottle of water to his lips with shaking hands.

"Woah, Dee. You alright, man? You look like a wreck..." Russel looked over his shoulder at 2D while frying up some bacon.

"Yah, 'm awright. Jus...hadda nightmare." 2D lied.

"Aw man, I know what that's like." Russel replied. "Want some food, man? Might make yah feel better." He held the frying pan of sizzling strips under 2D's nose, but he turned his head away and stared at the ground.

"Nah, thank you." Stu replied glumly. " 'ey Russ...you fink you could 'elp me wit sumfing?"

Russ looked up at him "Uh, sure, Dee. Whatcha need?"

2D hesitated as he looked at the large figure, his glossy white eyes seemed to be fixed on him with a confused stare. He thought about how crazy his request was going to sound, but he needed to do it. This was the only way. "I want...I need yah to...hit me. As hard as yah can." 2D shut his eyes tightly, preparing himself for the mighty blow. After a couple of seconds, he opened his eyes and looked at Russel.

"Whatcha talkn' about, Dee? I'm not gonna hit yah...unless yah did sumthn to deserve it. ...Is there something you're not telln' me?" Russel looked oddly at 2D, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the odd request.

"I didn't do anyfing!" 2D shot back in self-defense. Then, he calmed himself down and took a deep breath. " I mean...I didn't do anyfing...it's jus a problem I'm havn'. I wouldn't ask yah if I didn't need yah to do it. Trust me. You'll be helpin' meh out a lot, Russ."

"I dunno man...You say it'll help yah?" Russel looked over at 2D, who suddenly seemed very sad. He sighed and raised his large shoulders. "...Alright, man. Brace yo'self." Russel raised his fist and watched as Stu stiffened his body to try prepare himself for the pain. Russel decided last minute not to punch him in the face (as Murdoc had already done enough damage to that region), so he instead punched him in the stomach.

He felt the large fist smash into his guts and it knocked all the wind out of him. He weezed as he stood himself up and winced up at the giant drummer. "Fanks man...I needed that."

2D staggered out of the kitchen and down towards his own bathrom to clean himself up. He walked into the small room and studied his reflection in the dingy mirror as he winced in pain._ Yah fink this is bad? Imagine wot would happen if Russ knew WHY you wanted him to punch you. Just imagine if 'e knew wot was goin' through yur sick mind...or if Muds found out. It wouldn't be no jab in the guts, thats fo' sure. _Stu thought angrily to himself. The pain was good, it gave him discipline and a good distraction. If he got Russel to hit him every time he had one of those...thoughts...then he'd eventually get over it. _Wot's wrong with me...have I gone berserk? Why wuld I ever think about lil' Noods that way...I fink I'm gunna be sick. _

Stu spent the next hour or so throwing up the contents of his stomach into the porcelin bowl. He figured the sickness was brought on partially by the blow to the belly and by his nerves acting up so much. Good. This was good. He deserved to be sick. He wanted to remind himself of this pain if he ever got stupid like that again.

Once he was finally finished emptying his insides, he decided to take his mind off everything with a classic zombie film. _Ah, this one always cheers me up.._he thought to himself as he popped the disc into the DVD player.

About half-way through what turned into a zombie movie-marathon, 2D felt himself starting to drift off, most likely due to the lack of sleep from the night before. He was just about to slip into a deep slumber, when he heard a small rapping at his bedroom door. His eyes popped open from the sound and he turned around to look at the door, and then at the clock. _Hmm, 2:30 already._

He pushed himself lazily off the bed and walked towards the door to open it a bit. Looking straight ahead and expecting to see Muds, he saw nobody. Then he looked down and saw the short Axe Princess looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "Hey lil' love. Wot's tha matter? Why you lookn' so sad again?" 2D asked her softly as he knelt down to face her. She leaped forward and launched herself into his arms as she tightly hugged him. Stu looked surprised at first, then he felt her shake from the sobs and he hugged her tightly as well. "Shh, it's okay, dun cry. Here, come sit on tha bed and tell me wots the matter."

Noodle slowly broke the hug between them and made her way towards the messy bed. She plopped herself down, looking absolutely miserable and wrapped one of the blankets around herself. The small sniffs and gasping coming from the tiny teenager were cutting right through 2D, he completely forgot about the pain from earlier today. "P-please don cry, hon. I promise, whatevr' it is I'll be here ta help yah through it." 2D stammered as he sat on the very edge of the bed.

The girl sniffed and then looked up at the tall singer. "You...promise?" she asked. The soft voice ran shivers down his spine, and he gave her a slight nod. "Thank you, 2D-san. T-that means a lot...sniff " she finished as she burried her head under the blankets. Then, she peaked out from under the bright blue sheet so only half-her face was visible and she gave 2D a small grin while wiping away the tears. Stu couldn't help but smile his signature tooth-less grin.

"See? S'awright hun, no need to be sad. Hey, you wanna wotch a movie with me?" 2D offered as he sat a bit closer to the young girl. Noodle nodded and gave a grin and a couple of sniffs as she started to cheer up.

"I've never seen this one before, is it new?" Noodle asked as she leaned against his shoulder. He felt so comfortable with her resting up against him. Between the two of them, they had probably seen every classic zombie flic known to man. 2D was wondering why this felt so different all of a sudden. _That's all this is, just us wotchn' another zombie movie...just like we've always done..._He thought to himself as he instinctively tensed up, feeling the young girls body up against his. He could feel the slight fall and rise of her small chest up against him, again giving him the 'butterflies' in his stomach.

"Yah, jus picked it up a few days ago. Usually I like the classics but I thought this one looked good." He replied as he laid up against his head-board, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt.

The movie was already about half-way through and the story was just getting good. There were a bunch of teenagers stuck in their high school and all the staff and teachers had, of course, became zombies. They had barred themselves in the large gym, except for two of their pals (a couple) who had ran off together before they had discovered the dead walking. Suddenly, the scene changed to the couple of students who had been left alone and were sitting on the edge of the school's pool with their feet dangling in the water. The camera panned over to the two of them, making out furiously and groping each other as the guy slowly started raising his hand under the girl's low-cut shirt. All you could hear in the room were the harsh moans and gasps emitting from the television, the lights flickering on 2D and Noodle's faces as they watched on.

_Oh God, wot's tha rating for this movie? I didn't realize it was gonna be uh..._2D mentally cursed himself for letting the young girl watch the sexual scene. It was bad enough he was exposing her to this sort of smut, but she had positioned herself with her tiny frame laying in between the singer's long legs. Her torso was practically resting up against his crotch. _This is...ridiculous...I should go turn this off. But...if I move she might feel sumthn'. Maybe this scene will end soon..._Stuart hoped desperately to himself as he felt his loins start to tingle unintentionally. He closed his dark eyes tightly, trying to take his mind of the images infront of him, but he could still hear the sounds of the teenagers lusting for each other.

To make matters worse, he could feel Noodle shifting her weight uncomfortably, squirming her tiny body and unintentionally grinding her back into his already burning loins. _UH, 'is is unbearable...Why won't she stop mov'n, she must know wot she's doin' ta meh.._2D desperately tried to take himself out of the situation, trying to think of anything that would distract his mind from the 'thoughts' brewing up again. Unfortunately, we all know how 2D's mind isn't the best for doing, well...anything.

"2D-san..." Noodle turned hall-way around to face him, looking at him questionably over her shoulder. "um...why does this...make me feel funny?"

2D began to panic, his body going stiff and not daring to move a muscle. _Why does WOT make her feel funny? Oh God, can she feel it! Damnit, I knew I shoulda worn underwear..._ He cleared his throat and looked at her. "W-wot..do ya mean, love?" he asked, faking innocence.

"Well, the movie. Whenever I see stuff like this...makes me feel funny. I dunno...kinda warm..uh..down there. Is that w-wrong?" Noodle asked she she fully turned around to face a very uncomfortable 2D.

"Oh...no..you're uh..." There was a long pause as 2D cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. " Ahem! You're jus umm...h-horny. S'all, love." He let outa light chuckle to cover up his voice breaking as he said the words. Due to his lack of experience with subtlty, he didn't know any other way to describe it. _Oh my God, she's horney, she horney..._ 2D couldn't take his mind off the fact, 'horney' seemed to be the only word on his mind all of a sudden. Meanwhile, Noodle giggled nervously and her face turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh...I-I didn't know that was the word for it I guess..." she stammered awkwardly. The steamy scene continued playing infront of them as the two sat in a nervous silence and focused their attention back onto the screen. "Hey, Stu, do you ever get...horny when you watch stuff like this?"

2D could barely stand it any longer. The girl had so many questions, she was so naive and innocent. The pure look of question and excitement from learning the new information about herself was almost too much to handle. "Wull..uh. I guess..yah see, love... it'sa normal thing to...urmm.." He froze. He didn't know how to handle the situation and he was sure as Hell wasn't going to let it go the way he _wanted_ it to. His body was in a state of pure arousal, he felt the tingling from his head to his toe, and he knew no simple movie could ever turn him on like this. He didn't even feel sane anymore, like he was some sort of crazed animal in heat. He knew he had to get out of there, and fast. " 'scuse me love...I'll..er, be right back." he muttered quickly as he gently pushed the girl off his lap and bounded out his bedroom door.

He walked briskly down the hall trying to calm his body and steady his breathing. _Where is he...he's gotta be 'round 'ere somewheres..._2D rounded the corner to the kitchen, where he knew he'd find the man he was looking for.

"Dee! Jeez man, you scared me half to-" Russel started but was interrupted by 2D.

"Hit me." was all the singer said.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Don't own the Gorillaz (clearly). Thanks for the reviews. I'm so glad there are people that can enjoy this story! Keep reading if you like, it's about to get good!!**

2D collapsed to the floor like a deflated balloon. Russel's mighty fists slammed into his face and the impact knocked him back at least a foot, the loud thump echoing throughout Kong. Stu sat up on his elbows, looking bewildered and gently rubbing his face. "Oi...uh...fanks, I guess? Ughh..." and with that, he fell back down on the ground with almost visible tiny birds flying around his heads.

Suddenly, there was the sound of laughter. Who should have walked around the corner to witness this but Murdoc, and he was enjoying it.

"That was great! Wonder wot yah did to get that one, mate?" Murdoc held his sides as he let out a deep chuckle. "Russ usually leaves those big ones fer meh!" The bassist cackled at the sight of 2D almost comatose laying on the kitchen floor. Russel looked rather guilty as he studied the skinny singer on the ground. His gaze moved from 2D to Murdoc and his face fell into a frown.

"Dat ain't funny, man. If you ain't careful, that's gonna be you." He muttered as he leaned up against the refrigerator. Murdoc paid no attention to the threat, and continued to laugh whole-heart-idly at poor Stu Pot, who was still sprawled out on the cold tiles.

Meanwhile, Noodle was still laying innocently on 2D's bed. She was confused at 2D leaving so quickly, thinking that she had done something wrong. But she decided to just try to watch the rest of the movie until he returned. She suddenly felt a large thump and heard the all-too familiar sound of someone crashing to the floor. Now, while this wasn't anything out of the ordinary at Kong, she decided to go up and check it out. As she waited for the lift to take her up to the kitchen, she could hear the maniacal laughter coming from Murdoc, and knew something was up. She turned the corner and walked into the room to find Russel standing over a beaten and bruised 2D, and Murdoc with an evil grin spread across his green skin.

"Murdoc! What is the matter with you? Why did you have to hit him?" she cried out as she ran towards the fallen singer.

"Woah there Missy. Believe it or not, I didn't 'it 'em. It was old Russ here that laid into 'em! It was great, never seen the dullard go flyn' that far before!" Murdoc crossed his arms across his chest with a very satisfied look as he replayed the scene in his mind.

"Russel! What could he have done to deserve this! You've seen how Murdoc hits him, and now you too!" Noodle almost looked like she was about to cry. She knew this is what always happened in this dis functional home, someone was always getting hit. She couldn't figure out why she was so bothered by it this time, her emotions were just running wild inside her. Noodle looked down at Stu, who was now stirring and coming to. "Are you okay, 2D-san?" she asked in a much softer tone.

"Uh..yah, luv. I'm fine! Really, dun worry about meh." the singer replied as he sat himself up off the floor as he gave her a weak smile. Noodle could already see the start of a nasty shiner

"URGH! Just tell me why you did it Russ? What happened?" Noodle screamed as she whipped her head around to face the larger figure behind her. Russel hated it when she got upset with him, he felt the guilt eat up at his stomach. He looked at her with sad, white eyes.

"I'm sorry Noods, he as-" Russel was cut off as he saw 2D shaking his head violently behind her. Then he help his finger to his lips, signifying him to keep it between them. The drummer sighed and looked back down at the young, Japanese girl. "I...dunno what came over me. He scared me when he came around the corner and...I been on edge lately. Nightmares and stuff. I didn't mean to hit'em." he lied.

"Well, you should make it up to 2D. And you need to be more careful, Russel. You could have really hurt him, or any of us!" she huffed. "C'mon 2D." Noodle turned her attention back to her broken friend and helped him to his feet. "Let's go back to your room and get you cleaned up." The two of them walked slowly out of the kitchen, leaving the other two band members behind.

Russel inwardly cringed at the thought of those two in the singer's room, alone. He didn't like the idea of it and was always telling 2D that she shouldn't be in there as much, especially at night. But he knew she wasn't a little girl anymore. He couldn't tell her what to do forever. Then, the words Noodle had said suddenly sunk into the drummers mind. _BACK to your room? They were alone in his room before...then he came to see me and asked me to hit'em...Maybe I need to have a serious talk with Dee.._Things were starting to make sense to Russel, but he was still confused. He was disturbed from his thoughts as Murdoc shoved him aside to get to the fridge. The drummer watched as Murdoc took the remaining food out from under him and started to walk towards the car park. _Aw HELL no!_ Russel thought to himself as he clenched his fists in anger and chased after to bassist.

Back in Stu's room, Noodle had helped him get into bed and had just came back into the room with a bag of ice for his face. "Here you go, 2D-san. I'm so sorry you got hurt, that's so awful."

"S'alright luv, doesn't even hurt, really. Fanks for the ice." he gave her a cute, toothless grin as he held the bag to his swollen face. She looked up at him and saw his nose was now bleeding.

"Stu! Your nose is...bloody! Here, let me help you." Noodle grabbed a wet face cloth and tried to dab the blood away for him. But everytime she would get near his nose, he would jerk away as the pain was too much. "C'mon, we have to stop the bleeding, 2D." she sighed. He kept resisting her and turning his head away. So, she decided to get on top of him so she could clean him. She kept down his arms by pushing her knees down on them and gently held his face as she wiped away the blood.

2D winced at how sensitive the area was, but her hands were so gentle...and soft. He felt the butterflies take flight throughout his stomach again and studied her soft features as she tended to his wounds. Then his gaze drifted a bit lower, down the plunging neck-line of the small-white tank top she was wearing. From the way she had positioned herself on top of him, the singer could see all the way down Noodle's top and to her newly acquired cleavage. Stu's eyes went wide, and then he tightly closed them to try not to stare. But as much as he tried to fight it, he couldn't help but sneak in peaks of her perfect breasts placed so closely to his face. It was the most skin he had ever seen the young girl show, and he felt his face burning hot as he gulped. Thankfully, Noodle was not sitting on his lap, but he still didn't want to risk getting too excited.

Noodle kept the cold cloth to Stu's face to stop the bleeding, her face becoming flushed as she realized that 2D was staring down her top. Normally, she'd be upset. But she thought it was adorable how he didn't think she would notice, and the cute way he was biting his lip and looking away every so often. Plus, she had to admit, she liked the attention. _Why am I enjoying this so much? 2D is just my friend, I shouldn't want him to look at my body. But, I guess everyone likes to be noticed, that's what the push-up bra is for, after-all_. Noodle smiled to herself and looked down at 2D again. She let out a small giggle and decided to make sure he didn't get too comfortable with her. She gently placed her hand under his chin and pushed his head up so he was looking at her face instead of her chest. Noodle gave him a smirk with one eyebrow cocked that pretty much said 'caught yah'. "Find something...interesting in there?" she grinned.

"Ummm, no! I mean...yes? Well, I-I.. dunno whotcha mean..I wosn't...ahem" 2D turned about seven shades of red and shifted uncomfortably as the girl smirked down at him. _Oh way to go, dullard! Now she's really gunna fink you're a pervy, old fool! _Stu mentally cursed himself. "I'm..urh...sorry, luv." he grinned up at her sheepishly.

"It's alright, 2D-san." she giggled. "And look, you're nose stopped bleeding. Maybe that means the blood moved to another part of your body.." Noodle smirked so devilishly down at the shocked Stuart. _Oh my God, what am I doing?! Did those words actually just come out of MY mouth?_ She shook her head and gave a slight giggle at his reaction. Then, she leaned in and very softly kissed his nose, trying to preserve some of her innocence. "You know, 2D-san...sometimes I get the impression you guys still think I'm a little kid. Well, in two days I'm going to be seven-teen. I have grown up a lot throughout the years, I'm not the little girl you guys used to take care of, yah know?" Noodle explained as she laid down beside the lanky singer.

2D looked at her and gulped again, he couldn't find any words to say. What did she mean by all of this? And why was he so...turned on by the way she was acting. It was so odd for him to see her seem so..not-innocent. Her bluntness had always been something he was used to, but this time...it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at attention (amongst other things). "Well, I know that, luv. Anyone can see your grown' up...you've become a...v-very beautiful woman." 2D grinned and blushed at bit, because he really meant it. Noodle turned over to face him and smiled.

"Thank you, 2D-san...that's so nice of you to say. It means a lot that you don't think I'm some little kid anymore. Now that I feel older and my body is obviously changing, I feel I am ready to take the next steps in discovering more things about life. Things I haven't had the chance to experience yet..." she trailed off as she twirled her finger in imaginary circles on Stu's chest. Then, she turned her gaze upwards to face him, only to find him staring back into her green eyes. Their faces were inching closer and closer together, every moment felt like it was lasting an eternity. Until finally, the could feel the warmth of each other's breath on their own quivering lips. Their body's aching, demanding they go further. All of a sudden, their lips locked into a passionate kiss that neither one of them were expecting to feel so...good and right. For that one moment, they tuned out everything...the age difference, the band, the consequences. They were lost in the embrace of their tongues caressing up against each other in such a sweet, yet aggressive manner.

Their lips parted, after what seem like hours. Both at a loss for words, the young girl curled up beside the older man and cuddled up to him. She could feel his heavy breathing as she rested up against his body. They were so content just to lay in each other's company and be peaceful. Neither of them knew what the kiss meant, or if it would ever happen again. But that didn't matter. All that mattered to them was that one moment in time, it was their to share and enjoy secretly between the two of them.

In the distance, they heard heavy foot-steps approaching the door and a mumbled from outside of 2D's room. The sudden sounds broke them from their hypnotic spell and they turned their attention towards the door. Their body's simutaneously tensed up at the same time when they heard the steps grow louder and then...stop. Then, a knocking came at Stu's door and they both froze.

"Hide." 2D said.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hide?" Noodle asked as she sat up-right on the bed. "They know I'm here, 2D."

"Oh, wright...w-well, surry." he stuttered. "Uh, gimmie a sec." Stu straighted himself up and took a deep breath to calm down. He cautiously pulled the door open to reveal the bassist at the doorway. Murdoc crossed his arms over his chest while giving 2D the usual scowl.

"I need smokes, Dullard." he demanded as he pushed open the door the rest of the way and invited himself in. "An' I know you gott'em, I saw yah wit a whole pack earlier."

"Yah okay, sure! Here yah go. See-yah." 2D quickly replied. He yanked the entire pack out of his back pocket and practically threw them at the bassist. Stu began to guide Murdoc back out the door impatiently by pushing on his shoulder with his hand.

"A'wright, yeesh! Wot, yah tryn' tah get rid..." Murdoc trailed off mid-sentence when Noodle came into his line of vision. He stood near the doorway, frozen. He looked at the young girl, then back at the tall singer. His face turned into one 2D never saw before, almost a mixture of shock and anger. Stu knew this couldn't be good, he felt his whole body go tense as the Satanist stared him down. "Um...Face-ache, a word in the 'allway..." Murdoc practically chocked the singer as he led him out of the room by his collar.

"Ack! Wot's tha matter wif you Muds!" 2D yelped, grabbing his own throat in pain.

"Hey, dun gimmie that!" Murdoc snapped after shutting the door behind them. "Tell me."

"...Wot?" the singer stared blankly back at him.

"You bloody know wot! Tell me why...the gurl's shirt is like that.." Muds said, in a softer voice so Noodle wouldn't hear.

"Like wot! You're not makn' no sense!" 2D relpied.

Murdoc sighed and grabbed Stu by his shoulders and stared directly into his dark eyes. 2D felt himself shrink almost instantly, like Murdoc was trying to hypnotize him into making him talk. "You two...been act'n strange. She's quiet and moody and can't even focus. You can't even sing - the only thing you're good at! The two of you look like yur both...off in yur own lil' world!" He flashed his green, pointed fangs at the singer as he snarled. "And now, I come in and find 'er shirt 'anging half off 'er?"

2D froze, the black orbs he called eyes went wide and he gulped loudly. "...'er shirts' 'alf off?" he stuttered.

They stared silently at each other in the cold car park. The older man trying with all his might not to pummel the younger one into a bloody pulp that nobody would ever recognize again. "Yesss!" Murdoc hissed. "Now, you're gunna tell me wot the bloody 'ell's goin' on!"

From inside 2D's room, Noodle could barely hear what the two musicians were arguing about, but she knew it couldn't be good. Murdoc never used discretion when he go upset, if 2D did something he deemed unacceptable, he would usually just smack him and be done with it. Why were they whispering? She pushed her head up against the door tighter to try and make something out of the muffled conversation.

Stu was standing face-to-face with the bass-slayer, wishing he could be anywhere else in the world right now. He knew he needed to think quick or it would be too suspicious if he had no answer. "Oh, I didn't notice, I 'spose. I was jus tickln' 'er. Yah know, horsn' around like we always do. Tha shirt must be too big for 'er." 2D shrugged, trying his best to look natural.

Murdoc stared intently at him, reading his expression and his body language. Finally, he sighed, almost with a sign of relief. "Listen ta' me, Dullard. Tha's fine, you play around er whatever. But..." he paused, seeming to search for the right words. "..she ain't no ten-year-old no more. She's a teenager. Yah can't be...touchn' her in those ways cause if anybody else saw, they wouldn't think it innocent. Lord knows the damned press wouldn't."

2D was shocked, Murdoc was actually being...understanding. He looked down at the bassist and nodded slowly. "Yah...guess I ne'er thought 'bout it tha' way." he replied slowly.

"Course ya didn't, you're a Dullard!" Murdoc snapped and slapped him upside his head. "Thank your bloody stars it wasn' Russ who busted in to find that! Now, remember wot I told yah, I dun wanna hafta see that again. Think of Noodle, and your reputation. At least TRY to think of things before yah do'em!" he finished as he turned to walked towards his Winnebago, pulling out a cigarette from the pack 2D gave him.

The lanky singer stood in the car park rubbing the side of his head where Murdoc had struck him. _'At was too close..._ he thought to himself. Turning slowly, he opened his bedroom door, surprised to see Noodle crouched down on the floor.

"Oh! I'm..sorry 2D-san. I didn't mean to be rude. I just didn't want him to start hitting you." Noodle explained as she lifted herself up off the ground. 2D offered a lanky arm to help her up and they both sat at the edge of the bed.

"S'awright hun. Everyfin's fine, nothin' you need tah worry 'bout." he gave her a reassuring smile. Though he said the words, he knew it was a lie. He didn't want to have Noodle worry about him, and he didn't want her to know how he really felt.

"Okay. 2D...I'm so sorry for doing that. I..I don't know what came over me, I never lose control like that." Noodle hung her head. "I hope this does not wreck anything between us, and our friendship..."

"Oh shush hun, there's nuthn' wrong." 2D tilted her head up so he was looking into her eyes. "We are still friends, best friends at that! Nuthn's ever gunna change that, luv." He gave her his big toothless grin that always made her smile. Noodle wrapped her arms tightly around him and hugged him.

"Thank you." she said into his shoulder. Stu felt so good holding the guitarist in his arms, he loved being able to make her feel better so easily. They shared a special bond that nobody, not even Murdoc, could break. His thoughts were interrupted when the girl broke their hug and turned to face him. "I promise, I wont do that again. I will have more control than that. I guess...I just wanted to know what it was like so bad, and...well, anyway. I'm sorry, again." she explained as she twiddled her thumbs nervously.

2D felt his heart sink a bit. Maybe she didn't feel the same way, maybe the kiss meant nothing more than an experiment for her. He tried hard not to show his disappointment to the young girl. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "Really luv, its fine. No 'arm done, jus innocent." he mumbled. "You..erm..best get goin'n. Don' want Russ er Muds gettn' mad atcha for hang'n around down 'ere too much."

Noodle nodded and got up quickly. "You're right, Russel-san keeps a close tabs on me lately." she giggled. "Thanks for being such a good friend, Stu." She gave him another squeeze and slowly walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her. 2D was left alone with his thoughts. Thoughts he wasn't able to handle right now.

_God, I gotta take care a' this. Russel is already suspicious and now Murdoc too..._ he thought to himself. He gingerly rubbed the spot on his face were Russel hit him earlier today. _Ugh, dun fink I'll be gettn'em to do that anymore. _The singer plopped himself down onto the bed lazily. What was he going to do? His feelings for Noodle weren't going away, even though he knew that nothing could ever happen between them. Well, nothing more than what's already happened. Stu's mind brought him back to the kiss as he laid back onto his messy bed. He smiled and kept replaying it over and over again in his mind. _Her lips were so soft..._he thought. Suddenly, he felt the familiar burning sensation in his lower regions once more as he continued thinking about their special moment. _C'mon Stu...be good._ _She's 16, yah could go ta jail! _He grasped his hair and pulled at it in frustration.

Quickly, he sat up and rushed towards his bathroom. He walked into his shower and turned the water at the coldest level it would go. Standing in the stall, 2D let his body slump onto the floor as the freezing water soaked through his clothes.

The next day...

Noodle was bounding merrily through the halls, her happy footsteps echoing throughout the whole building as she hummed a happy tune to herself. She was going to be 17 tomorrow and was very excited for her birthday. All her mood-swings and troubles just melted away into a ball of excitement at the pit of her stomach. Russel was already in the kitchen as she entered and she gave him a huge smile. "Good morning, Russel-san!" she chirped.

"Morn'n baby-gurl! You seem pretty happy." he smiled down at the small figure as she passed by him.

"I am!" she replied. "Tomorrows my birthday, I really looking forward to it!"

"Well, you should be! We gotta whole day planned for yah." Russ ruffled the young girls' hair as she waltzed past him towards the living room. "Hey Noods, go tell Muds and Dee their breakfast's ready."

"Sure thing, Russ!" she shouted back while walking briskly down the hall. Noodle entered the lift and tapped her toes until Shawn's voice told her the lift had reached the car park. Practically skipping, she made her way towards Murdoc's Winnebago first and raped lightly on the door. From inside, she could hear him grumbling and moving around, pushing away the clutter on the floor. Suddenly, the door burst open and Murdoc glared at the guitarist, not saying a word. "Murdoc-san, breakfast is ready for you!" she sang out.

Murdoc sighed and looked at the unusually chipper teen. She was wearing only a tight, black camisole that showed off her mid-drift with a tiny pair of grey shorts. He still felt a bit strange from yesterday's incident, so he turned away quickly. "Yah yah, I'll be up ina bit. And go get a sweater or somethn'! You're gonna freeze your bloody arms off!" he shouted groggily before slamming the door in her face. Noodle wasn't bothered by his actions, she was used to Murdoc's attitude. She simply shrugged and made her way towards her next stop; 2D's room.

She approached his door and knocked lightly. After waiting a moment or two, she heard no reply, so she knocked a bit harder. '2D-san! Breakfast!" she shouted through the door. Still, no reply. Noodle opened the door a crack and peeked in. She found Stu snoring loudly, laying on top of the blankets, wearing only a pair of blue-jeans. The small girl giggled to herself at the sight and slowly walked towards the sleeping singer.

2D was laying blissfully, dreaming he was on stage in front of millions of screaming fans. The rest of the band was there, but he was more focused on the fan-girls screaming his name. At the end of the show, he went back to his dressing room, having to be rushed backstage at the risk of being trampled. He had just closed the door, when he heard a small knock. He slowly opened the door a crack and peeked out, seeing Noodle in the doorway. She was wearing a stunning, short back dress which showing off her newly acquired curves. Stu let her in and smiled at her. Then, out of nowhere, she jumped onto him and began kissing his passionately. His eyes went wide and he fell backwards onto a nearby couch, with the young girl still on top of him. Her tongue massaged his neck in that special spot and it was driving him insane. "_Oh! Noodle ...N-Noodle...Noodle!" _He shouted out in his dream. Then, everything started getting fuzzy as he felt his heavy eye-lids force open.

"Noodle!" 2D moaned out-loud as he saw the girl on top of him, a mischievous smile spread across her face. He looked around his room and began to realize he was no longer dreaming, Noodle was actually there, sitting right on top of him! "W-wot are yah..." he trailed off as she began to giggle lightly. Stu felt a deep blush begin to creep up his neck all the way across his face. He let his head fall back onto the pillow and he closed his eyes tightly. "...Yah scared meh half ta death, Noods!"

"I'm sorry 2D-san! I couldn't resist, you just looked so peaceful." she giggled as she leaned back to sit up straight on his stomach. "You know" she started "...you were saying my name...in your sleep, Stu."

2D lifted his head back up and his eyes popped open in surprise. Suddenly, the erotic dream flooded back into his mind, and he realized he had woke up with his usual morning-wood. "Oh, um...I wos? Heh..h-how do yah like that." he mumbled as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, anyway, I came to tell you breakfast is ready!" Noodle hoisted herself up off the singer (thankfully missing the stiff body part while doing so). 2D sat up quickly to make sure she wouldn't see anything.

"Yah, luv. I'm gonna grab a shower then I'll be roight down." he quickly replied.

"Okay." she smiled. "And by the way, I was going to ask you something." Noodle turned to face him, now standing by the door.

"Sure, luv. Wot's tha'?" he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, tomorrow is my birthday and...I just wanted to know if we could spend some time together...alone. Like, just the two of us." She studied her feet and shifted her weight.

_Don't do it! Don't do it! Don't say yes...Russ is gunna hate you... Muds is gonna kill you!_ The singer screamed out in his mind. "Uh...wull...sure! Tha' sounds...great! I can't wait." he smiled weakly.

The girl instantly perked up and shot him a big smile. "Great! I'm...going to go upstairs. I'll see you there." And with that, she left the room, closing the heavy door behind her.

_Argh! You bloody dullard! _2D hit his own hand into his forehead and he shut his eyes tightly. He sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, trying hard to stop the impure thoughts from filling into his brain. _Tha's two night's in a row you've been 'avn' those dreams about 'er. Those sick, sick dreams..God, I really 'ave lots my wits. _He frowned as he laid himself back down on the bed. _...But...then again, SHE kissed YOU. You didn't make 'er do anyfing she didn't wont. An she's been givn' yah the signs.. _2D started thinking about the situation a bit more. _But, it doesn't matter. She's too young, an' she don't know better. Jus be a good friend, tha's wot she needs roight now..._

Reluctantly, he sighed and lifted himself up off the bed. He headed towards the shower and started removing his clothes before getting in this time. He tried to listen to his own advice, he knew Noodle was just his friend. But he had to admit, he was excited for some more quality time with her tomorrow. And she was going to be 17. The thought of her being another year older and closer to the legal age made him smile secretly to himself. _One year away from 18,_ he thought. Somehow, that one little fact made him feel a bit more at ease, like he wasn't such a horrible person. Noodle acted very mature for her age anyway, and anyone could see she wasn't a kid anymore.

He got into the shower and looked down, noticing he was still hard from the dream he had this morning. His solid member was throbbing, begging for attention. He had tried for the past two days to ignore the tingling, burning sensation from his loins, but he knew he had to do something about it. Slowly, he turned on the water and let it fall onto his bare skin, the warmth feeling good in the cold room. He leaned up against the back wall of his shower stall and felt his hand trail down toward his stiff member. His entire body tingled in anticipation as he firmly grabbed it and began to stroke, bracing himself with his free hand. His breathing quickened and his heart raced with the quick movements. It didn't take long before he was able to get the release he needed, moaning loudly as he hit his climax. He rested himself against the wall, feeling completely drained. But he didn't feel any better. If anything, he felt much, much worse.

After a few moments, he straightened himself up and grabbed the soap beside him. He scrubbed himself vigorously, trying to feel clean again. Even though he was standing under the stream of hot water, he felt completely filthy. He knew he wouldn't be able to get rid of this feeling by washing himself. No, he needed to talk to someone. Tell someone about how he was feeling; the dreams, the kiss, everything. But how? The only people for him to open to were his band mates, and he couldn't very well tell Russel or Murdoc, not without getting a proper beating. That only left Noodle.

He turned off the water and began to dry himself off. He knew what he had to do, he had to tell Noodle how he felt. It didn't even matter if she felt the same way. He just wanted...no, he needed her to know, or he was going to go insane. Sighing loudly, he quickly dressed himself and then headed out the door towards the kitchen. He would tell her tomorrow, when they were alone again.

2D entered the kitchen and saw everyone eating their breakfast like they did every morning. Russel was eating quickly, his plate piled high with various things. Murdoc had his nose buried in the paper, already finished his meal and taking a few sips of coffee. Noodle was just finishing up as well, taking the last mouthful of eggs on her plate. She greeted him with another wide smile as she gathered up the dirtied dishes and placed them in the sink.

Stu smiled back at her, not saying a word as he sat as his usual spot and studied the food under his nose. He wasn't particularly hungry, he ate only one slice of toast and lazily pushed the rest away. His stomach was in knots even being in the same room as the girl. He knew he would have to face her tomorrow and explain everything, but he had no idea how he was going to tell her.

Murdoc got up from his spot and folded the newspaper back up. He gave the singer a hard stare and walked past him. 2D knew he was still upset with him for yesterday, Murdoc could be very protective of the small guitarist. The lanky singer was about to excuse himself from the table, when Russel grabbed his arm. 2D spun around to face him, surprised at the grip of the heavy drummer.

"Hey, man. You and me gotta have a talk later, 'aight?" he said quietly. He gave him a stern stare before turning his attention back to his breakfast. 2D starred blankly down at the large man and nodded. He took back his own arm and rubbed it while walking slowly back to his room.

Back in the car park, 2D was sitting anxiously on his bed again. _Great, I bet Muds told Russ I was mis-behavn' wit Noods. So much for not gettn' hit again. _He winced as he thought to himself. But he turned his attention back to his previous issue; wondering how he was going to tell Noodle his feelings. He ran the scenario through his mind at least a dozen times, growing more and more nervous with each passing minute. Every time he thought about confronting the teenager, his mind would go blank and he couldn't even think straight.

Reaching under his bed, he picked up the present he had purchased for her birthday a few days ago. He studied the shiny paper as he played with the ribbons on the top of the package. Suddenly, it occurred to him that he hadn't written anything in the card he had bought. A smile spread across his lips as he picked up a nearby pen. He knew what he would do, he would write how he felt, then give the card and the present to her when nobody was around. The pen moved rapidly across the card as the singer wrote down his thoughts he knew he could never say to her face.

When he was finished, he read over what he had written once more and then tucked the gift back under the bed. Just then, he heard the knock at his door he had been waiting for.

"Hey Dee." Russel's voice came through the door. "You gotta minute?"

2D gulped as he stood to answer the door, he tried to stop his hands from shaking as he turned the knob.

_This is not gonna be good_...


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Don't own Gorillaz! But a girl can dream, can't she? Anywho, thanks for the revs and favs people, glad to know you like it. I hope to keep this story going much longer and I'll be having updates soon, just be patient with me :D They will get up there, but it may take some time.**

" 'Oy Russ, 'ow's it goin'?" 2D answered the door and greeted Russel, trying his best not to look guilty.

"S'good, Dee. But, uh...how you doin'? I been kinda worried about yah." Russel rubbed the back of his neck as he studied the singer. "I mean, I know you been stress'n and stuff but, gettn' somebody to hit ya is NOT a good way to deal with anything."

2D sighed as he slouched down on the edge of his bed. "I know tha', Russ. I shouldn've gotcha ta do tha'. 'M surry." he muttered glumly.

"It's cool, Dee. But, maybe you jus' need to talk to someone about this kind of stuff if it's buggn' yah that much." Russel smiled and patted 2D on the back as he stood next to him. Then, he walked in front of the singer to face him and stood with a stern look. "But, there's somthn else I came here ta talk to yah about, too."

Stu gulped as his shoulders fell. He knew Russel would have suspected something by now, especially if Murdoc was already suspicious. He knew that the only person who was more protective of Noodle than Murdoc was Russel.

"It's jus' lately I been noticin' things.." The drummer started as he folded his large arms across his chest. " You and Noods, you guys been spend'n a lotta time together. An' don't git me wrong, there's nothin' wrong with hangn' out with her. But, you guys know how I feel about her being in your room, especially at night. And it's not just the zombies and Murdoc's foul mouth, neither. She's...a lot younger than us, it's our responsibility to take care of her. I think of all of us like a family, as weird as that sounds."

2D inwardly cringed, he knew Russel was going to give him this kind of speech. The same thing happened when he found them asleep together on his bed one night while playing video games. It was innocent, but Russel did not approve. "I know Russel, I-I'm...s-sorry. I don' wanna bother anybody. Murdoc kind of said the same thing yesterday..." Stu trailed off as he rubbed the spot on his head where the bassist smacked him earlier.

"Yeah, he mentioned somethin' about that." Russel looked off in the distance as he tried to remember the details. Then, to 2D's surprise, Russel shrugged and then smiled. "Well, Man...glad we had this talk! You feel any better?"

2D stared up at the large man towering over him. He blinked and then took a deep breath. "Actually...yeah, I do. Fanks man." 2D smiled and patted Russel on the back. While Stu did feel slightly more relieved, he was still concerned with his feelings for Noodle. Deep down, he was absolutely terrified about telling her everything tomorrow night.

Russel jokingly punched 2D in the arm lightly and then made his way out of the room. "Hey man," he turned around to face the singer before he left, "you can talk to me about this kind of stuff. I know we don't really talk that much outside a' work, but you n' me...we tight." And with that, he turned and walked out of the room.

2D was left alone in his messy room, standing quietly amongst the clutter of debris floating around his feet. Sure, it felt good knowing Russel was his friend. But he already knew that. And deep down he knew Murdoc was his friend too, maybe they were even closer than him and Russel. He still couldn't help but feel a sting of guilt in his gut. He was betraying his friends, and it wasn't a good feeling.

The rest of the day was pretty exciting. After lunch, 2D and Russel had went out to get decorations and do some last minute shopping before Noodle's birthday. Stu was very excited and they all agreed that only the best was good enough for the guitarist. The first stop was a bakery on the other side of town, it was famous for making the most amazing cakes and the guys thought it would be great to make her one that said 'DARE' on it.

At Kong, Noodle was barely able to stand still for more than 2 minutes. She had no idea why she was so pumped up for her birthday, nobody had really made a fuss about any of her other ones. She could feel the excitement boil up in her stomach, it was a very strange feeling. But the more Noodle tried not to think about it, the more it bothered her. She even had to calm herself down and sit on the couch with a glass of water. Still, the stomach pain was not going away. It was strange though, not like anything she'd ever felt before. Her insides felt so tense, she didn't like it at all.

As Noodle laid with her feet up and her hand across her abdomen, Murdoc walked lazily into the living room and flicked on the TV. He turned to look down at the small teenager and leaned forward a bit to study her expression. "Wot's tha matter wif you? Does our lil gurl gotta belly-ache?" Murdoc mocked with a wide grin while he pinched her cheeks. Noodle said nothing. She only groaned and rolled over to face away form the bassist. "C'mon luv, don't be shy. Tell your uncle Mudsy wots tha problem." He chuckled lightly. He sighed as he got no response again. Seeing that the conversation was not going anywhere, he strolled out of the room and into the kitchen to get himself a beer.

Suddenly, a loud shriek came from the living room than ran up the Satanist's spine. Without even thinking, he dropped his beer and dashed into the living room towards the scream. He saw Noodle sitting straight up on the couch, she had tears in her eyes and her face was beet-red. "Wot is it, luv?" Murdoc was now genuinely worried about the girl, as he kneeled down to face her.

Noodle looked away and frowned as a single tear traced down her cheek. "Umm..I don't know..sniff I t-think there is something wrong with me..." she trailed over and clutched her stomach again.

"Wot, Luv? Wot is it? Do you wanna go to the hospital?" Murdoc replied, almost whispering.

"No! I-I...it's embarressing. I don't want anyone to know. Call Russel, please." Noodle wrapped a nearby blanket around her and pulled her knees close to her body.

Murdoc sighed and reached for his mobile in his pocket. _Please pick up, please pick up..._ he thought over and over again in his mind. After getting the voice mail, he immediately hung up and re-dialed the number. Still, there was no answer. "Russ! C'mon, pick up your phone you lard-ass! Noodles' got a problem and she won't talk to me about it, think there's sumthn' wrong with her..call me back." He walked backed into the room after leaving the message. He clicked the phone shut and shook his head at Noodle, indicating he could not get a hold of Russel.

"C'mon, darln'. Just tell me wot it is. I can't get a hold of Russ and it's just you and me 'ere." Murdoc placed his hand on her shoulder and she stared back at him.

"...I...am bleeding. And it hurts. A lot.." Noodle murdered in between moans of pain.

"Bleedn'?! Wot happened? Where are you blee..." Murdoc trailed off as he looked at the guitarist. She moved aside the blanket that was covering her and showed him the spot where she was sitting, and her jeans, that were now stained with blood. Her face was so red and she looked down at the ground, the tears were now steadily falling out of her eyes. She was clearly ashamed of what was happening and quickly pulled the blanket back around her to cover up the stains.

"I-I'm s-sorry Murdoc-san. I don't know what happened. I was just sitting here and..and.." Noodle was now sobbing into her own arms. Murdoc could see her shoulders shaking and he knew he had to explain what was happening to her.

_Damn you, lard-ass...you're never around when I bloody need yah..._ Murdoc thought angrily to himself, but then he straightened himself up and took a seat next to the crying girl on the couch. "Look at me, luv. I ain't mad atcha. Stop your cryn', okay? There's nothing to be sad about, and there's..nothing wrong with you..."

Noodle perked her head up a bit and wiped away the tears so she could see the bassist. She was a bit surprised to see him so close to her, holding her and comforting her. This was not at all like Murdoc. "W-what do you mean?" Noodle asked.

"Ugh...well...Noodle, luv. You're getting older, and this doesn't mean you're sick. It's normal for that to 'appen to a girl when they get older." Murdoc was feeling increasingly uncomfortable explaining this. He only hoped the girl would catch on to his vague explanations. He hoped that maybe somewhere at sometime, somebody had already explained this to her and she just needed to be reminded.

Noodle looked at the bassist blankly. She had now stopped crying, but had obviously no clue what Murdoc was talking about.

_Damnit._ Murdoc thought to himself. He didn't think he could handle telling her about the workings of her own body. He couldn't believe the girl didn't even know anything at all about this, had nobody explained to her what to expect? But it had then dawned to him that Noodle had never really been around other girls. She didn't have a family and she only learned English a few years ago, and even then she didn't understand some terms. How WOULD she have known about what was happening to her body? "Uhr...just gimme a minute, luv." Murdoc mumbled as he walked calmly out of the living and into the kitchen. He waited until he was out of her sight and then frantically grabbed his phone and smashed the numbers to try Russel again.

"Yo man, what's up?" Russel's voice came over the line.

"Russ! Didn't yah get my voice mail?" Murdoc growled, trying to stay calm.

"Nah, I just got to my phone. What's goin' on?" The deep voice replied.

"It's Noodle. She...she's, uh..guhtorpriod..." Murdoc cupped his hand over his mouth and mumbled into his cell.

"What? I can't hear yah. What's wrong with Noods?" Russel sounded more anxious this time. 2D, who was standing nearby, quickly turned his attention towards Russel when he heard this.

Murdoc sighed and poked his head around the corner to study Noodle. She was still sitting on the couch, and she glaced up at him. The bassist gave her a weak smile and waved his cell phone at her. "I got Russ on the phone, luv." She breathed a sigh of relief, and secretly, Murdoc did as well. He walked over to her and handed her to black device.

"Russel-san! I h-have something to tell you..." Noodle's tiny voice was barely a whisper. "I..." she paused, looking up at Murdoc with a sad stare. The bassist nodded and left the room, allowing the guitarist the have her privacy.

"It's okay baby-girl. What's goin on?" Russel asked again, a bit calmer this time.

"Well...I was sitting on the couch and my stomach was hurting and I started...bleeding. I was really scared, but Murdoc-san told me it is normal for that to happen to girls. I don't know what he means, can you come home soon?" Noodle explained

"Yeah Noods, we're comin' home now." Russel replied. And with that, he clapped his phone shut and turned to the singer who was listening intently to the conversation.

"Wot's goin on, Russ? Is everyfing okay?" 2D asked nervously.

"Yeaah...she's okay. We gotta go home. I'll explain it to yah in the car. C'mon, Dee." The large drummer sighed and took the items to the cash register. The paid for everything and made a quick stop in the drugstore before they left the mall. Once Stu saw what Russel was purchasing, he didn't need to ask anymore questions. He just nodded slightly and cleared his throat uncomfortably as the two men waited for the teenager to ring up the products.

They arrived home and 2D quietly set the cake and the decorations in the kitchen while Russel took the other 'supplies' to give to Noodle. When they entered the living room, Stu tried to stifle his laughter when he saw Murdoc grumpily scrubbing the couch. The singer sat in a nearby chair and turned on the TV while he waited for everyone to start decorating.

Russel approached Noodles' bedroom door and knocked lightly. He got no response, and he pressed his ear up against the door to see if he could hear the girl moving about in the bedroom. Instead, he heard the shower running in her private washroom. Russel figured that's where she may have been, so he gently turned the knob and walked into the room. He placed the bag on the guitarist's bed and walked out to join the rest of the band-mates.

Noodle turned off the water in her shower, the steam circling the room as she wrapped the towel around her tiny frame. She put on some clean clothes (after she had to throw out the ones she was wearing) and brushed out her stick-straight locks before leaving the washroom. She noticed a parcel on her bed, a bag from a local drugstore. The guitarist walked to her bed and sat down, emptying the contents onto her blankets. Inside, she found a small box with pink and purple flowers that read 'Tampons', and a pamphlet for her to read.

Hours later, the guys were down in the kitchen preparing for Noodle's birthday. 2D was standing on a wobbly chair trying to hang a banner from the ceiling, Murdoc was blowing up balloons (in between beers) and Russel was on the phone making all the reservations for tomorrow. They didn't even notice the tiny Japenese girl quietly walk into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. 2D saw her leave the room, and discreetly hopped off the chair to follow her.

2D was standing outside her room, and he took a deep breath before knocking.

"Go away." Noodle muttered through the door.

"I-it's me, luv. It's 2D." The singer stuttered out.

Noodle opened the door and then walked back over to her bed. She lied down, facing her back to him, but clearly wanting him to come into the room. 2D stood in the doorway awkwardly, rubbing his long, frail arm. "Y'awright hun?" he asked quietly.

"Hai...I've been better, though." Noodle muttered. "It's just...embarrasing. I feel like a...a freak."

"Shh luv, you're no freak. You're just grown' up, like you said. And this is one of the things that happens. You shouldn't feel bad about it." 2D explained as he sat next to the girl and rubbed her leg for comfort.

"I know...it just feels weird." The small girl sighed as she turned to face the lanky singer. "Do you see me any different, 2D-kun?"

Stu paused, he had never heard her call him that before. Then he turned to the girl. "Well, I still see you as Noodle, my best mate. Tha amazing teenage guitarist and tha very talented member of our band. But...I guess it means you're not tha little girl I fought you were. You're...a young woman."

Noodle smiled and reached up to hug 2D. He held her tight to his body, making sure not to squeeze too hard because she wasn't feeling well. She pulled away and he kept his arms on her shoulders, but he was surprised when he looked down at her. Noodle was now crying, tiny tears tracing down her soft cheeks. "'Ey, luv. Wot's wrong?" 2D asked as he lifted up her chin.

"I-I don't sniff know...I just..feel really sad now." The girl continued to sob and pulled herself away from the singer to lay back down. "If you d-don't mind, 2D-san, I'm just going to lay down for a bit."

"Uh..s'okay luv. I understand. Lemme know if yah need anyfing." 2D stuttered as he pulled himself up from the bed and started to walk out the door.

"2D-san...wait!" he heard the small voice call out and he turned his head around to face her.

"Yah, luv?"

"I want some ice-cream. C-chocolate ice cream." she sniffed.

2D stood in the doorway with an eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Uhhh...sure. I'll get you some of that..You just rest." He walked out of the room slowly and shut the door behind him. _Ice cream?_ he thought to himself. Finally it dawned on the singer that Noodle would be acting a bit strange for the next few days. He remember this happening when he was with Paula, she would get mood swings and cravings for certain things. _Well..._2D thought to himself_..tomorrow should be interesting._


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Thanks so much for the favs and the reviews! So glad people like to read my stories :) Just thought I should make a note really quick about the last chapter. I know some of you were confused about Noodle reaching puberty so late. That was actually when it happened for me and my sisters. Also, I figured since she's so small she probably wouldn't have had it until later any way. But, on to the next chapter! More love-dovey, more confusion, more me not owning the Gorillaz.

Kong was dead-silent. The morning sun had creeped up upon the building ever so slightly, climbing over the eye-sore that was the landfill and falling upon the walls of the studio. Not even birds chirped, and the zombies had all resumed into the cold autumn ground before the light had hit them. From the outside, everything seemed peaceful, still, calm. From the outside.

The small, Japanese guitarist sat on the edge of her bed. Her feet dangling over the side and not even coming close to touching the ground. She glanced over at her tiny clock and noticed that her alarm would be going off in another two minutes. Sighing quietly, she hit a button on the clock to avoid the loud buzzing that would surely follow, a small tear tracing down her cheek and splashing onto her sock. _C'mon Noodle,_ she thought to herself. _Cheer up, it's your birthday! The day you've been waiting for since the beginning of October. _She felt her shoulders slump and a small frown fall across her face. _Why am I feeling so sad again? _

She stood up and paced over to the bathroom, knowing she would soon be grimacing at the sight. It was almost as if she was used to all of the pain, the cramps and blood already. Even though it had just commenced yesterday, it seemed as though it was done, which she read was normal for a girl's first time. She knew she was able to adapt to things quickly, but the pamphlet Russel had given her had helped immensely. She remembered the looming fear that she was severely injured, and then felt it fly from her stomach as she read about how it was completely normal for these things to happen. But she could feel a happiness deep inside her, beneath the pain and sick grogginess. A feeling of pride and completeness, she was finally a woman now. And she couldn't help but think that maybe she was more noticable to a certain someone.

Noodle shook her head, making her stick-straight locks bobble and bounce infront of her face. _Pfft, like he would ever be interested in me._ She thought to herself, glumly. The frown now returning to her face as she left the washroom and plopped herself back on the bed. _Stu's a nice guy, he's nice to everyone. I shouldn't mistake his kind nature for something more than that. _She twirled a lock of her purple-tinted hair around her finger and turned to lay on her back. _I mean, the guy runs away from me every time I try to get close to him. He must be so repelled by me. And then I kiss him! _Noodle cringed at the thought and felt her cheeks flush. _What was I thinking?! We've been friends our whole lives, he was the closest person to me, then I go and force myself onto him..._

The small girl rolled back onto her side, she didn't like the feeling of beating herself up over these types of things. She had tried to ignore it for a while now, but deep-down she knew the truth. She liked 2D. She didn't know if it was a simple crush or something more than that, she just knew she wanted to be around him. She enjoyed it when he noticed her, her stomach felt bunched up and tight whenever his body was close to hers.

_Aw...the kiss..._Noodle allowed herself to slip back into that moment, the moment of pure bliss and excitement. Her body had been going wild with anticipation, almost as if all day she had known it was going to happen. It had been the first time in her life she had experienced any kind of intimate closeness, and secretly she had always wanted her first kiss to be with 2D. Why was she feeling so confused about everything then? Noodle sat upright and practically lept out of the bed. She found herself pacing back and forth across her bedroom floor.

_C'mon Noodle, think. Put this all together. _She scrunched up her forehead while pondering the issue. _You kissed him, yes. But, he kissed you back. He's always around, always there for you. He compliments you..._ A small smile played across Noodle's lips. _And then, there is the issue of catching him staring down my shirt, of course...._

The girl's thoughts had been interrupted suddenly when she heard a knocking at her bedroom door. She felt as though she might jump out of her skin at the sudden noise, her cheeks flushed as though she had just been caught doing something naughty. She caught her breath and made her way towards the door and turned the knob.

"'Appy Birfday, Luv!" 2D burst through the door and scooped up Noodle into a tight hug. She giggled as he squeezed her close to his body with his lanky arms, and secretly felt her face getting warm again. Of all the people to come through her door at that time...

Stu released the girl from his tight grip and stood back a couple steps as she smiled up at him. Noodle suddenly felt a bit awkward, as though 2D was studying her. A concentrated look on his face as his glance went from her toes back up to her face "I con't believe your 17!" He suddenly blurted out in the silence. "My lil' luv is all grown up into a beau'iful woman!" 2D smiled wide again and Noodle felt herself relax.

"Oh 2D, I'm no different then I was yesterday! Don't be silly." The girl gushed, obviously flattered by the kind words.

"Well, maybe so. But today is all about you, lil' luv! C'mon downstairs, we got a whole day planned for yah!" 2D's bubbly excitement was indeed wearing off on Noodle, who was now giggling and skipping as she held onto 2D's hand and walked out of the room. When they reached the kitchen, she found Russel waiting by the table with a happy grin spread across his face.

"Happy Birthday, Noodle-girl!" Noodle jumped towards him and felt his large arms wrap around her body in a hug. "I hope your hungry, Noods, I made you your favorite. French toast!" Noodle looked over at the table and saw piles and piles of french toast, covered in syrup and sugar with loads of fresh fruit.

"Oh, Russel-san! That is so nice of you, this looks great!" The girl licked her lips from the heavenly smell that drifted under her nose. She looked across the room and couldn't help but smile at 2D, who was watching her tongue with a dazed expression.

Suddenly, she felt a hand ruffle her hair in a playful manner from behind her. She looked up to see Murdoc with a cigarette dangling losely out of his mouth and a tired expression on his face. Noodle giggled to herself, as she knew the bassist must not be used to waking up earlier than noon.

"Yeah yeah, 'appy birthday and all that. I'm starvn', let's eat." The bassist muttered non-chalantly, but Noodle could tell he was hiding a smile behind his cigarette. He glanced down at Noodle and gave her a small wink, like an uncle would give to a child. This made Noodle smile even wider, and she leaned back into Murdoc as he squeezed her shoulders softly.

After breakfast, they all went their separate ways to get ready for the busy day ahead. Noodle could barely walk after eating so much, she thought she might just fall over. On the way to her bedroom, she could hear the tall singer walking quietly behind her and humming to himself, keeping a respectable distance as they were both headed in the same direction. She smiled secretly to herself and decided to be a bit playful. Noticing that one of her knee-high socks were drooping, she ever-so-slowly bent over to adjust it, knowing full well that she would be flashing 2D a perfect view of her bottom in a pair of short-shorts. Almost instantly, she heard his humming stop as his footsteps slowed down. She took her time adjusting the sock, enjoying the attention she was receiving, she could almost see 2D's reaction in her mind. And then slowly, almost seductively, she rose from her bent-over position and continued on towards her room.

2D blinked as he stared ahead, his jaw hanging open in shock. _I...con't believe she jus did that...she musta known I was behind 'er! Didn't she? _The singer shook his head and let a smile rest on his face. Even he couldn't ignore signs like that, and it was making him feel more confident about giving Noodle the card this evening. He felt the tense feeling in his stomach again as he thought about tonight. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she gets scared? 2D tried his best not to think about it so he could enjoy the day and try not to worry. Besides, he already had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't chicken out on this.

Stu took a deep breath and continued to walk the rest of the way towards his own room. Once he was inside, he frantically pulled out the gift and the card to read over once more. _I...I wonder what she'll say.. will she say anyfing? Is this even a good idea?...._2D shook his head, flinging his blue locks about his face. _No chickening out. _He thought to himself with a stern look of determination. He then quickly tucked the precious items back under his bed for safe keeping.

After everyone got cleaned up, they were headed out the door to take Noodle bowling, one of her favorite hobbies. She had gotten quite good in a short period of time, just like with everything she tried to do. She easily put the boys to shame with a winning score of 200 and nobody else even coming close. Noodle was quite sure that 2D had never bowled before, he seemed to think the idea was to try not to hit any of the pins for the first couple of frames. The tiny guitarist smiled to herself as she removed the bowling shoes and put on her own boots. Everything she did with 2D was fun, he never let anything bother him and was almost always either smiling or laughing.

Once they had left the bowling alley, Noodle could hardly wait to see the restaurant they were going to be eating at. Russel had told her it was weeks for them to get the reservations, and they were the Gorillaz! Plus, when it came to fine dining, she trusted Russel completely.

They pulled up to the front of a modest looking building, mostly grey with a few small windows near the top. But the door was a beautiful, wide glass entrance with a couple of gold statues on either side. Noodle could hardly wait to go inside, but when she went to open the handle of the car door, it was already opened for her. She looked up to see 2D standing in front of her, his hand out stretched and waiting to walk her into the establishment.

Noodle giggled and tried to hide her blushing cheeks with her long, purple hair. She had to admit, 2D was treating her like gold and it was getting harder for her to ignore. The others let them out first while searching for a place to park the car, telling them they would be in in a few minutes. Noodle shivered lightly as the cold October air brushed over her exposed skin. 2D, standing tall behind her, was squeezing her shoulders in a small attempt to keep her warm. "Wanna 'ead in, luv?" he asked quietly, leaning down a bit to get closer to her ear.

The tiny girl nodded her head 'yes' and the two continued inside to wait for the rest of their party. Stu removed his own jacket and was already behind Noodle again to slip off her sleek, black coat off her shoulders. They stood in the lobby of the building for a few minutes before deciding to just go ahead and sit at their reserved table, since there were so many people trying to get around them. The singer knew it would only be a matter of time before one of them were recognized and he didn't want to have to deal with the hassle of excited strangers on this particular night.

The waiter led them to a private booth, way near the back of the building. It was a beautiful, red leather seating area with candles and a large chandelier hanging over them. "Oh 2D-san! This is absolutely gorgeous! I can't believe you guys did this all just for me." Noodle squeezed 2D's hand from across the table and gave him an excited grin as she studied the beautiful artwork that surrounded them.

"You deserve tha best, lil luv. 'Specially on your big day!" 2D squeezed her hand back and gave her a warm smile. "But if you'll s'cuse meh, I need to find tha waiter, I have somefin' to ask him." The singer rose from the table and began to walk near the back of the building to find someone to help him. Noodle nodded and opened up the large, embroidered menu sitting on the table while she waited.

The lanky brit continued down near the back of the restaurant. It had been about 5 minutes and he still hadn't even seen anyone who worked there. He rubbed the back of his neck in confusion and looked in a few doors, finding nothing but stock rooms and a space filled with cleaning supplies. _I fought the guy took us down this way...maybe I made a wrong turn somewheres..._2D thought blankly to himself as he made his way down a more narrow corridor.

It had now been about 15 minutes of silence at the large table. The Japanese girl sighed softly as she kicked her feet against the side of the booth. _Where are those guys? Must have been a busy night if Russel and Murdoc could not find a spot yet. I bet they had to park all the way down in the rural area tonight. _Noodle thought to herself, almost forgetting it was Halloween and a busy night for any establishment that sold liquor. _I wonder what 2D-san has planned, he sure has been gone a while...._Noodle played with the tassels on the inside of her fancy menu as she thought. _Hmmm.....it shouldn't take that long to find someone. I hope he has not gotten lost somewhere. _The girl cringed and realized that it was most likely the case. While 2D was very sweet, he wasn't always good trying to find...well, almost anything or anyone. She hopped up from the booth and decided to search for the singer.

"God, lard-ass. Why did yah make meh park all the way down thare?" The bassist had just made his way into the restaurant with the drummer following close behind.

"Man, you wanna get a ticket? It's busy as Hell downtown tonight, hope we didn't keep Noods and Dee waitn' too long." Russel replied. They found a young waitress who quickly guided them to their private dining area, both of them surprised to see it empty.

"Where tha bloody 'ell did they go? Damn dullard probably has his 'ead caught in sumthn', no doubt." Murdoc grumbled as they took their seats.

"Hmm, I dunno. Think I'm gonna go with the duck..." Russel ignored the Satanist while quickly flipped through the menu.

Stu was now getting a bit worried with his situation. He had no idea that the building was this large, and he was now just trying to find his way back to the table with Noodle. _God, this place is like a bloody maze. Hmmm, fink I've already been down this way before..._The singer sighed and turned to go towards another direction, when he ran directly into another person. "Oh! Surry Miss, didn't see yah...Noods!" 2D's eyes went wide as he looked down at the Japanese girl. "Wot are you doin' 'ere?"

"I was looking for you, 2D-san. You have been gone a while, I wanted to make sure you didn't get lost. But, now I think we're both lost!" The girl replied while brushing her hair out of her face. They were both silent a moment, as they looked around the restaurant, then back at each other.

"Surry luv...I 'ad no idea this place was so....big! Let's jus try n' go back the way we came." 2D grinned sheepishly at the guitarist and they both turned to walk in the other direction.

They walked for a bit until they came across a large, heavy door near the end of one of the halls. "'Ey, this looks familiar...I fink. Let's try this one." The brit proposed as he tried to push it open.

"Uh, are you sure 2D-san? I don't think we came this way..." Noodle replied slowly as she watched the singer try to push his way through. After getting no response, she sighed and stood beside the singer, trying with him to get the door to budge. Suddenly, there was a snapping sound and the door flew open, flinging them both into the dark room. Both collapsed into a heap of limps on the concrete floor, the large door slamming shut behind them and clicking again.

"A-are you alwright, Noods?...Noods? Where are ya?" The singer tried to find his way to the girl in the poorly lit room, crawling on his hands and knees and listening for her voice.

"I'm fine, I'm over here..." The Japanese accent replied. Noodle was now sitting up, holding out her arm and grabbing the singer by the shoulder. "Where are we?"

"I've no clue. Wait, jus gimmie a sec." 2D dug around in his pocket until finding his trusty lighter and flicking it a couple of times until getting a steady flame. The tiny light lit up the room only slightly as the singer walked around slowly to find the way out. He helped Noodle up and looked around the room, which appeared to be a large storage room for dry foods. "Hmmm, guess we really didn't come this way then...well, lets get outta here." Stu found his way back to the door and tried to pull it open, but with no luck.

"Come 'elp meh with tha door, luv. I fink it's stuck." Noodle stood beside him once more to try to get it open, but even with both using all their strength, the large door wouldn't budge. They collapsed beside one another on the ground, both giving up on trying for the door. 2D looked down at the young girl, who was sprawled across his torsoe from the fall. He was thankful for the darkness, as it hid his darkened cheeks and the nervous expression on his face as he helped her to her feet. He flicked the lighter again, searching through one of the nearby shelves for something to light up the room a bit better.

"Ah ha!" he exclaimed happily, as he held out a flashlight to show Noodle. "'Ere we go, now we got sum light at least." 2D took the large flashlight and sat it on the ground pointing up, so they would be able to see around them as they waited for help. 2D sat crossed-legged in front of the light, with Noodle sitting across from him. They silently looked around the room, and then back at each other. Neither one of them saying a word for a good 5 minutes, until Noodle suddenly erupted into a fit of giggles.

2D gave her a confused look from across the flashlight. "Wot's so funny, luv?"

"I don't know! Just...everything I guess! I can't believe we went to a fancy restaurant and got stuck in a storage room while Russell and Murdoc are waiting for us. It just....seems funny, doesn't it?" Noodle sputtered out in between fits of laughter.

2D thought about the situation and then grinned, but couldn't bring himself to laugh. "I guess....but...I feel really bad, luv. This wos s'possed to be your special day, and I wrecked it. Imagine how much Muds is gonna make fun of me for this..." The singer replied, his smile falling into a frown. "I'm....surry."

Noodle now had stopped laughing, she felt a pinch of guilt at her stomach. She didn't want 2D to think she was laughing at him or to think he was silly. She just thought the situation was funny. The young Jap scooted down towards the singer and sat close beside him, picking up his large hand in her own tiny ones. "No, 2D...do not be sorry. I am having fun here with you. I...always have fun with you." The girl smiled softly at 2D and rubbed his hand, causing him to grin like a love-sick school boy.

"Aw, thank yah luv." 2D looked down at the ground and rubbed the back of his neck. He leaned away from the girl a bit, as she was now sitting so close to him he started to get the butterflies in his stomach again. "I..have loads of fun wif you, too."

Noodle frowned as she noticed the singer back away. "What is wrong 2D-san?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothin', luv. Why?"

"You are backing away from me, I notice you do this a lot. Did I do something wrong?" Noodle asked as she looked up at him innocently.

"No! I..I just, I didn't realize I wos doin' it." 2D replied, flashing his signature toothless grin at the girl.

"Oh, okay. It just seems like..sometimes..I make you uncomfortable."

"Of course not! Your my lil luv, my most favourist person ever! Wot makes you think that?"

"Oh, nothing. I am just being silly I guess." Noodle grinned as she leaned up against 2D, now resting her head up against his chest. The singer felt his heart skip a beat, hoping the girl wouldn't notice. "You made my birthday so great. I really love your attitude, 2D-kun. You always find a way to make me smile, I'm never in a bad mood when I'm around you."

2D smiled down at the girl, then wrapped his long arm around her to bring her closer to him. "I feel tha same way, darl'n. I mean....only about you...cos you make me happy." Noodle was now curled up in his lap and cuddling up next to him. Even though it was making him nervous, 2D absolutely loved feeling so close to Noodle. This was what he wanted, what felt natural. He started to lean back and rest on his arms, until he was laying on his back on the cold, concrete floor.

Noodle could hardly contain herself. Every instinct in her body was urging her to go forward, to kiss him again. She couldn't think about anything else except being as close as possible to lanky singer, the one she had been thinking about for months now. The one she had been secretly wishing would notice her ever since she turned 15. He could make her smile just by walking through the door, and when he laughed, she felt like everything was going to be alright. She never knew that one person could have such a strong effect on her and not even know. She had to let him know how she felt, it was now or never.

"Noods, remind me to give you your birfday present when we get 'ome." 2D said, as he laid back with his eyes closed.

Noodle smiled up at him, it was almost as if he were reading her mind. She got up on her hands and knees, leaning in close to his face. ".....Can't I have it now?"

2D's eyes opened in surprise to see her face so close to his. "Wull...I, er.. I don't got it roight now....- Suddenly, the girl was on top of him, passionately kissing him, pulling his lips into hers with her hands placed firmly behind his head. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into the moment, kissing her in the way he had dreamt of all these nights. His heart beating loudly in his chest as his arms wrapped strongly around her waist and pulled her in for a closer embrace.

Finally, their lips parted and 2D took a large gasp of air as he looked down at the girl in shock. Noodle looked up at him, with a sweet and seductive smile spread across her lips. She was clearly pleased wth herself, getting the element of surprise, as she casually brushed her bangs out of her face. 2D gave her a mischievous smile and pulled her in close for another embrace. This time, she felt the urge to explore deeper, letting their tongues passionately massage each other. Her tongue was shy, holding back but still letting his tongue caress her. His was slow and smooth, taking his time to finally enjoy the moment he had been waiting for. Soon, they were both rolling about on the hard, storage room floor, the only light in the room from the flashlight that had now been tipped over in their haste. His hands were roaming up and down her small frame, taking the chance to explore the new, exciting regions of her body.

She pulled away, taking a deep breath and staring down at him. Her lips parted, about to speak, when all of a sudden, there was the sound of footsteps behind them coming from the other side of the door. The two both scrambled to their feet as they saw the door handle being turned from the other side, and the sound of footsteps entering the room. "'Allo? Is there sumone in 'ere?" A small, cockney accent rang out through the room as the man flicked on the light switch from the opposite side of the wall. 2D and Noodle both squinted up at him as he entered the room. "Eh! Wot are you all doin' in 'ere! This is for staff only, git outta here!" The skinny lad stood aside and pointed angrily out the door as the other two giggled sheepishly and snuck out of the room.

They finally made their way back to their dining area after awkwardly asking the waiter for directions back, both completely red in the face after being discovered in the room.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Dullard. Where the 'ell 'ave you been! Murdoc grouchily boomed out as they approached the table. He was picking at his yellow fangs with a tiny tooth-pick while Russell looked like he was making his way through his third helping of food.

"Surry 'bout that...we, uh got....trapped in a ...strgrm....." 2D mumbled awkwardly as he took his seat next to Noodle.

"You wot?" The Satanist leaned forward with a confused look on his face.

"We got stuck in a storage room. It's not a big deal, Murdoc-san. 2D was trying to find a waitor to get my cake and we got lost and..."

"Oh for the luv of Satan, there's a big shocker, eh? Face-ache got 'imself trapped in a closet. I shoulda known..." Murdoc rolled his eyes dramatically as he continued to berade the singer. But 2D didn't care, all he could think about was what happened between Noodle and him just moments ago. He smiled as he leaned onto his hands and began to drift off into the storage room again.

"Eh! You listenin' ta meh, Dullard!" The bassist waved his hands angrily in front of the singer to get his attention. 2D still paid no mind to him, instead, he snuck his hand under the table to grab Noodle's hand. He could see her smile and blush out of the corner of his eye as they shared another secret moment. 2D could hardly wait until they were back home and he was able to give her the gift he had picked out, and the card that said everything he couldn't say.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Wow! Sorry this story has been on hiatus for so long. I have been doing so much in my private life that I had neglected the dedicated readers :( Hopefully this final chapter will live up to your standards! (Warning, get's a bit hokey towards the end...he he he!) Also, do not own Gorillaz!!**

Thinking.

This was one thing that Stuart Tuss-Pot was doing a lot of lately, and that's saying a lot for him. He had been replaying the events of Noodle's birthday in his mind over and over. Part of him would smile like a young boy as the images of the young girl laying up against him became clearer in his mind. It was so well engraved in his brain it was almost as if he were reliving the events for the first time, like he could feel her weight on his chest and hear her light breaths.

But the other part of him grew nervous, stomach beginning to turn and headaches creeping up from the back of his head as he pondered the reality of the situation and what had happened shortly after. He took a long drag from the cig in his hand and harshly butted it out in a nearby ash tray.

It was now a full two weeks after the storage room incident. Noodle had been acting pretty normal around him, which was fine considering everything. But needless to say, they had not engaged in any similar activities since that fateful evening. And of course, there was the whole situation with the present…and card. He slightly cringed as he allowed himself to fall back into that moment as well.

*Flashback*

"Oh Stu…you had this made…for me?" She gasped. After unravelling the carefully wrapped parcel, she had discovered the white, silk scarf he had custom made just for her. It was exceptionally beautiful, with embroidered words in Japanese at each end that read 'Live, Love, Dance' in translation. The characters were woven in a lovely purple that nearly matched the shade of her hair. 2D smiled proudly when she held it up and wrapped it around herself gracefully. It was a perfect way to end a perfect evening.

"Oi, it was nuffin' Noods. You deserve the best." He mustered with a sheepish smile.

She hugged him, he melted. "You know, even though I tried awful 'ard, I couldn't find anyfing that looked as beautiful as you…" He barely whispered in her ear, unintentionally making the young Jap's cheeks stain with a light blush. She kissed him on the cheek.

"You are…so sweet. I have never received such a lovely, thoughtful gift. Thank you 2D-san." the girl gushed. They had both been sitting cross-legged on her bedroom floor, candle lights dancing peacefully up atop the shelves and bookcase. It brought upon a deja-vu from when she had invited him to her room late one night to talk.

"Oh, befoe' I forgit…I got yah a card." He tried his very best to steady his breathing and keep his hands from shaking. This card, the card where he had written his true feelings. This could not lie or hide, it was out in the open now and she knew it existed. There was no turning back and in mere moments she would know the truth.

"Thank you!" she quickly took the card and opened the envelope. 2D felt as though he could not watch, but found himself unable to look away from her. He watched as her expression changed from a light smile to one of a more serious nature.

"2D….I can't believe…" was all she was able to say. She looked back down at the card again and up to face him.

"I know, luv. I know…it's a lot to handle. I…didn't know how to say it. That's why I….wrote it." His eyes fell towards the ground and his shoulders slumped down. Had he just made a huge mistake?

"This is… beautiful. And…after what happened tonight…I know it must have just made these feelings stronger. But…2D, please… let me explain." Noodle moved closer to him and placed a hand gently on his leg.

2D swallowed hard, this was not the reaction he had been hoping for.

" I have been having…feelings lately, towards you. Maybe they have been there for a while, or have developed recently. And tonight I had decided to act upon them. It was an amazing experience and one I don't regret. I have never felt so close to you than I have today…" She took a breathe and gave him a small smile.

He looked down at her, their eyes meeting. Although when he saw her reaction, he could sense that what she was about to say would hurt him.

"…But I feel that we are being too hasty. I am still so young. These feelings are still new to me, 2D-san. And they scare me because you have been one of the most important people of my life. I don't know what I would do if I were to lose you or the bond we share. I do not think that I am ready to risk any of that." She took a long breathe and slowly rose to her feet. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the forehead.

2D couldn't move, or speak. He suddenly felt so hollow and empty. How could this have happened? He barely heard the tiny footsteps of Noodle walking out of the room. Now he was alone, left here to replay the situation in his mind, left with this horrible feeling like somebody had just wrenched his heart from his chest and stomped on it.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

_*End flashback*_

The lanky singer had been so lost in his memories that the sudden banging at his bedroom door had physically jolted him to his feet.

"Open up, Face ache! Yer twenty minutes late for practise!" Murdoc's gruff voice echoed in from the hallway.

Stu sighed. "Ugh, yeah. 'M comin' Muds."

Suddenly, the door handle turned and the bassist pushed through the door. Although he was visibly upset, as usual, he seemed…different to 2D. Murdoc flipped out a smoke from his pack and lit it casually as he glared at the singer. "So, wot the hell as crawled up your arse lately?"

2D rolled his eyes. "Nuffin' Muds. Jus not feelin' so fantastic. That a problem?" He paused when he heard how cold his tone was. It was like he was watching himself speak this way to Murdoc and had no control over it. Wasn't he usually pretty intimidated by this guy?

The Satanist gave him a dark look and sauntered closer to him. "Actually, yeah. It is a problem, yah dunce. Lest you forgit this is my band and wot I say goes. Now yew listen tah me, yew betta start feelin' fuckin' fantastic pretty soon or I'm gonna hawl your sorry arse to the landfill and leave yah for the zombies!" Murdoc spat as he let his famous temper take hold of him. He was now standing face-to-face with a surprisingly calm Stuart Tuss-Pot.

To _both_ their surprise, 2D reached out his hand and ever so slowly grabbed the cigarette from Murdoc's mouth, took a long drag and, to top it all off, flicked the ashes right on the Bassist's Cuban boots. Murdoc was beginning to actually shake with rage at the disrespect his singer had shown him. "Why yew piece of sh-" He had raised his fist and was about to smash the rest of 2D's face in but his hand stopped in mid-air.

"No." 2D glared at him, dark, hollow slits that were his eyes pierced through Murdoc's miss-matched pupils and sent a small shiver down his spine. The tall, lanky Brit had caught the Satanist's fist before it had connected with his face and had slammed his whole body against the wall so hard that it knocked the wind out of him.

"Now, YEW listen to ME, you tired old bastard. I'm sick of you pushin' everyone around and makin' MY life a livin' hell. Yew may have started this thing, Murdoc, but it's bigger than yew now. So yew can keep on making the deals and bein' the arrogant front-man in public, and you can keep getting shit-faced and bangin' the groupies til the cows come home. But lemme make one thing clear..." 2D was now towering over him, with a look that Murdoc never even knew the singer was capable of . "…If even one of us goes, this whole thing comes crumbling down around you. So yew tell me, who's really in control?"

2D let Murdoc down and took a couple of steps back. Murdoc glared at him, but did not move. The two men stood in silence, seeing who would be the first to flinch. Finally, the bassist turned away to leave the room, but whipped around to face 2D once more before he left. "Yew evah take one of my smokes again and I'll beat your empty head into next Tuesday."

And with a hasty slam of the door, the villainous Satanist was gone. 2D let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding for about 3 minutes. He couldn't explain it, but he had never felt so empowered. It was like unleashing something inside of himself that had been trying to get out for ages. He had finally stood up for himself, and to Murdoc of all people! "All it took was for my 'eart to git broken…" he muttered to himself.

After a quick shower and a shave, it was downstairs for the delayed band practise, which 2D was not looking forward to. Since the whole birthday incident, it had been difficult and almost painful to be around Noodle. She was still her sweet self of course, always smiling and acting kind towards him, making him laugh and laughing at his silly jokes. Almost like the whole thing hadn't happened to her, she must have blocked it out of her mind. 2D wished it could be that easy for him to do, maybe in time he would just block it out with booze and pain meds.

Today though, today was different. Band practise was much more laid back and comfortable than usual. Murdoc was being more vocal, but in a positive sense for a change. Encouraging all 4 different band members to work together and even complimenting Noodle and Russel's playing. 2D smirked to himself, glad that their 'pep-talk' from this morning had knocked some sense into the bassist. And upon reflecting the situation, he began to realize it was a powerful idea, just that one thing he had done that was completely different from his normal self had changed his day-to-day life.

And then, as if a ton of bricks had been slammed into his chest, he realized it. For the most part of his life, 2D had not been making changes to move his life towards what he wanted. No, for the better part of his life he had no idea what he wanted and had simply just been reacting to the situations life had presented to him. That had worked all well and good, but it was all so beige really. Boring for the majority of the time. And before Noodle, there was nothing that he had wanted this badly.

But today, he had finally taken charge and began to see immediate results. Could it really be that simple? Was the answer to all his problem something so easy as taking control and just…asking for it? Sure, some things were probably more complicated than telling off an asshole, but this was just the first time. Baby steps.

Without saying two words, Stu left practise early and went back to his room to meditate on these new developments.

_*The next morning*_

"Hold on, I'll just be a couple of minutes!" Noodle chimed as she pulled on one leg of her sweat pants. She had no idea who would be at her door this early, normally she was the only one awake at 7am in Kong. Finally, she was fully dressed and had her damp hair pulled back into a bun.

She trotted lightly towards the door and pulled open the handle. There, leaning up against the doorway, was the tall singer.

"Hi Noodle" 2D smiled.

"Oh, 2D-san… Hello. Is…everything alright?" Noodle asked, trying not too look so surprised.

"Actually, no."

"…what's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?" she took a couple of steps back to allow him entrance to the room.

"Actually, if you want to help me, all you have to do is listen." 2D was now standing tall in the middle of her room. Noodle nodded and took a seat down on her small bed to give the Brit her full attention.

"Noodle, from the moment I first laid eyes on yah, I knew yew were very special. You've always meant the world to me and I would never do anyfing to hurt yew or drive yah away. Now, it's true that in tha last little while, those once innocent feelin's have changed into something more. Yew've grown up and you're no lit'le girl anymore. I tried to ignore'em, try to pretend they don't exist in my mind and had not once evah thought I would tell you about them. As we both grew up together, we've somehow got even closer and our bond has gotten stronger. I thought I would be the luckiest man in the world if I found out that yew 'ad those feelings for me too." 2D paused and took a seat next to Noodle on her bed.

"And when you first kissed me…after everything that's happened, even after we've acted upon these feelings…that one night….I feel like it's driving me crazy. I con't git yew outta my 'ead. And yah know what? Even though it hurts, I don't wanna forgit about what happened that night. I con't jus let it go, and I refuse to. So yew have to know…the way I feel about yew isn't gunna change, Noodle. I'm always gunna be a fool and I'm always gunna luv yew."

There was a long silence, and then Noodle tried to speak. "2D-san… I know….I think that-" .

"No Noodle, I know. Yew told me yew weren't ready for this. Yew said yew were scared, and I'm scared too. But I think yew do love me too, as much as I luv yew. And maybe that's what true luv feels like, maybe it's…supposed to be scary. Nobody ever knows what the future holds and what can happen to people. But when I think about not even giving us a chance….that scares me even more. Dammit Noodle, I'm tired of just going with the motions! I think both of us deserve to be happy. And I promise yew, if yew would give me the chance…I would spend my whole life makin' you happy"

2D finally took a long breath and turned to look at Noodle. To his surprise, she had small tears trailing down her cheeks and a wide smile spread across her face. "2D-san…never have I heard anything so….romantic. And sweet…an-and…"

Noodle trailed off and leaned into 2D, squeezing him into a tight hug. They stayed this way for a while, until Noodle lifted her head up from his chest and finally spoke.

"Thank you, 2D-san" she whispered.

He gave her a small smile and then asked "For what, luv?"

"…For giving me the wake-up call I needed." She nestled into his shirt. "I am scared, I'm terrified of what could happen and I've never felt this way before. But with you, I don't know…it feels normal and comfortable and perfect. Like I can really be myself and be happy. I guess…I was so worried that it would wreck what we have that I was pushing my true feelings aside."

2D smiled as he rubbed her shoulder and squeezed her once tightly. "Oh, that. Well, your welcome."

Noodle smirked and rolled her eyes. "You`re pretty smug all of a sudden. None of what I'm saying is surprising you, is it?"

"Nah. I told yah, special Zen bond. Also, I`m a lot older and wiser than yew.`` 2D pretended to stroke an imaginary beard on his face to emphasize his point. Before he could taunt her anymore, she surprised him with a passionate kiss. They fell into each other and spent the night exploring their new found relationship.

They finally found the happiness they had both been longing for, all they had to do was open their eyes and see what was right in front of them.


End file.
